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			{{Short description|American chess grandmaster (1943–2008)}}
	{{For|those of a similar name|Bob Fisher (disambiguation)}}
			{{hatnote group|
	{{Infobox chess player
			{{for|the English footballer|Bobby Fisher (footballer)}}
	|name = Bobby Fischer
			{{similar names|Bob Fischer (disambiguation){{!}}Bob Fischer|Bob Fisher (disambiguation){{!}}Bob Fisher}}
	|image = Bobby Fischer 1960 in Leipzig.jpg
			}}
	|caption = Fischer in 1960
			{{Good article}}
	|alt =
			{{pp|small=yes}}
	|birthname = Robert James Fischer
			{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
	|country = United States <br />] (2005–08)
			{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
	|birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|3|9}}
			{{Infobox chess biography
	|birth_place = ], ], United States
			| name = Bobby Fischer
	|death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|1|17|1943|3|9}}
			| image = Bobby Fischer 1972.jpg
	|death_place = ], Iceland
			| caption = Fischer in 1972
	|title = ] (1958)
			| alt =
	|worldchampion = 1972–75
			| birthname = Robert James Fischer
	|peakrating = 2785 (July 1972 ])
			| country = United States<!-- please see the section "Fischer didn't play for Iceland" on the talk page before re-adding Iceland -->
			| birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|3|9}}
			| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, US
			| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|1|17|1943|3|9}}
			| death_place = ], Iceland
			| title = ] (1958)
			| worldchampion = 1972–1975
			| peakrating = 2785 (July 1972)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Fischer,%20Robert%20James.html |title=Fischer, Robert James |work=Olimpbase |access-date=September 18, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131034/http://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Fischer,%20Robert%20James.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
			| peakranking = ] (July 1971)
	}}		}}
	'''Robert James''' "'''Bobby'''" '''Fischer''' (March 9, 1943&nbsp;– January 17, 2008) was an American ], ], and the eleventh ]. He is considered by many to be the ].<!-- Please do not change this to "one of the greatest chess players of all time". The lead says "by many", not "universally". See body of article for more --><ref name="Müller 2009, p. 23">Müller 2009, p. 23.</ref><ref>Brady 2011, p. 328.</ref>		'''Robert James Fischer''' (March 9, 1943{{spaced ndash}}January 17, 2008) was an American <!-- Please do not change this to "Icelandic" or "Icelandic-American" or other iterations --> ] and the eleventh ]. A ], he won his first of a record eight ] at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11–0 score, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. Qualifying for the ], Fischer swept matches with ] and ] by 6–0 scores. After winning another qualifying match against ], Fischer won the title match against ] of the ], in ], Iceland. Publicized as a ] confrontation between the US and USSR, the match attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.
			In 1975, Fischer ] when an agreement could not be reached with ], chess's international governing body, over the match conditions. Consequently, the Soviet challenger ] was named World Champion by default. Fischer subsequently disappeared from the public eye, though occasional reports of erratic behavior emerged. In 1992, he reemerged to win an unofficial ]. It was held in ], which was under a United Nations ] at the time. His participation led to a conflict with the US government, which warned Fischer that his participation in the match would violate an ] imposing US ]. The US government ultimately issued a warrant for his arrest; subsequently, Fischer lived as an ]. In 2004, he was arrested in Japan and held for several months for using a passport that the US government had revoked. Eventually, he was granted Icelandic citizenship by a special act of the ], allowing him to live there until his death in 2008.
	At age 13, Fischer won a "]" that became known as ].<ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 48.</ref> Starting at age 14, he played in eight ], winning each by at least a point. At the age of 15 years, 6 months and 1 day, he became both the youngest grandmaster and the youngest ] for the World Championship up to that time. He won the 1963–64 U.S. Championship with 11/11, the only ] in the history of the tournament. He was then 20 years old. His book '']'', published in 1969, remains a revered work in all chess literature.<ref name="donaldson">{{cite book|title=The Unknown Bobby Fischer|author=Donaldson, John;Tangborn,Eric|publisher=International Chess Enterprises|year=1999|isbn=1-879479-85-0|pages=170}}</ref>
			Fischer made numerous lasting contributions to chess. His book '']'', published in 1969, is regarded as essential reading in chess literature. In the 1990s, he patented a modified ] system that added a time increment after each move, now a standard practice in top tournament and match play. He also invented ], also known as Chess960, a ] in which the initial position of the pieces is randomized to one of 960 possible positions.
	In the early 1970s he became one of the most dominant players in history—winning the 1970 ] by a record 3½-point margin and winning 20 consecutive games, including two unprecedented 6–0 sweeps in the ]. He became the first official World Chess Federation (]) number one ranked player in July 1971, and spent ]. In 1972, he captured the World Championship from ] of the USSR in a match widely publicized as a ] confrontation. ], held in ], ], attracted more worldwide interest and publicity than any chess match before or since.
			Fischer made numerous ] statements, including ], despite his ]. His antisemitism was a major theme in his public and private remarks, and there has been speculation concerning his psychological condition based on his extreme views and eccentric behavior.
	In 1975, Fischer ] when an agreement could not be reached with FIDE over one of the conditions for the match. Afterward, Fischer became a recluse, disappearing from the public eye until 1992, when he won an unofficial ]. The competition was held in ], which was under a ] at the time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4374811.stm |title=Bobby Fischer arrives in Iceland |date=March 25, 2005 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=September 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ozone.unep.org/Publications/MP_Handbook/Section_3.8_Annexes_Declarations/Question_of_Yugoslavia.shtml |title=Question of Yugoslavia (1992) |year=2004 |publisher=Ozone Secretariat |accessdate=September 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r210.htm |title=General Assembly |date=December 21, 1993 |publisher=United Nations |accessdate=September 13, 2008}}</ref> This led to a conflict with the U.S. government, which also sought ] on his match winnings. Fischer never returned to his homeland, thus becoming a fugitive.
			==Early life==
	In the 1990s, Fischer proposed a new ] as well as a modified ] system. His idea of adding a time increment after each move is now standard practice in top tournament and match play, and his variant ] is gaining in popularity.<ref>"At the beginning of the 21st century, grandmasters have been slowly but surely expressing interest in Fischerandom Chess." Gligorić 2002, p. 132</ref>
			Bobby Fischer was born at ] in Chicago, Illinois, on March 9, 1943.<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 2">], p. 2.</ref> His mother, Regina Wender Fischer, was a US citizen,<ref>{{cite web|author=William Addams Reitwiesner|url=http://www.wargs.com/other/fischer.html|title=Ancestry of Bobby Fischer (Extracts from the U.S. Federal Decennial Census)|publisher=ancestry.com|access-date=January 28, 2014|archive-date=October 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021044918/http://www.wargs.com/other/fischer.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Quinn">{{cite news|author=Ben Quinn |author2=Alan Hamilton|name-list-style=amp|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3261419.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516053441/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3261419.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 16, 2008|title=Bobby Fischer, chess genius, heartless son|newspaper=The Sunday Times|date=January 28, 2008|access-date=September 14, 2008}}{{subscription required}}</ref> born in Switzerland; her parents were ].<ref>], p. 313.</ref><ref>], p. 27. "…{{nbsp}}she appears to have been religiously unobservant."</ref> Raised in ],<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 2"/> Regina became a teacher, a registered nurse, and later a physician.<ref>{{cite web|author=André Schulz|url=http://www.chessbase.de/nachrichten.asp?newsid=3433|title=Mutmaßungen über Fischer|publisher=chessbase.com|date=October 8, 2004|access-date=October 17, 2008|archive-date=May 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521151159/http://www.chessbase.de/nachrichten.asp?newsid=3433|url-status=live}}</ref>
			After graduating from college in her teens, Regina traveled to Germany to visit her brother. It was there she met geneticist and future Nobel Prize winner ], who persuaded her to move to Moscow to study medicine. She enrolled at ], where she met Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, also known as Gerardo Liebscher,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=March 2004|title=WHO WAS FISCHER'S FATHER?|magazine=Chess Life|publisher=US Chess Federation|page=10}}</ref> a German ], whom she married in November 1933.<ref name="Brady 2011, pp. 7-8">], pp. 7–8.</ref> In 1938, Hans-Gerhardt and Regina had a daughter, ]. The reemergence of antisemitism under ] prompted Regina to go with Joan to Paris, where Regina became an English teacher. The threat of a German invasion led her and Joan to go to the United States in 1939. Regina and Hans-Gerhardt had already separated in Moscow, although they did not officially divorce until 1945.<ref name="Brady 2011, pp. 7-8"/>
	Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Fischer lived in Hungary, Germany, the Philippines, Japan, and Iceland. During this time he made increasingly ] and ] statements on various radio stations. His ] was revoked, and he was subsequently detained by Japanese authorities for nine months in 2004 and 2005 under threat of deportation. In March 2005, Iceland granted Fischer full citizenship,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4370119.stm |title=Asia-Pacific &#124; Iceland grants Fischer passport |publisher=BBC News |date=March 21, 2005 |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref> and Japanese authorities released him to Iceland, where he lived until his death in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chess champion Bobby Fischer dies|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/18/sport.davidbatty|publisher=The Guardian|date=January 18, 2008|accessdate=February 19, 2008|location=London|first=David|last=Batty}}</ref>
			At the time of her son's birth, Regina was homeless<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 8">], p. 8.</ref> and shuttled to different jobs and schools around the country to support her family. She engaged in political activism and raised both Bobby and Joan as a single parent.<ref>], p. 9. "The family lived in before moving to New York. Regina's flexibility and desperation led her to a surprising gamut of jobs. She was a welder, schoolteacher, riveter, farm worker, toxicologist's assistant, and stenographer, all throughout the early and mid 1940s."</ref><ref name="Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 5">], p. 5.</ref><ref name="la-times">{{cite web|last=Nicholas|first=Peter|date=September 21, 2009|title=Chasing the king of chess|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bobby-fischer21-2009sep21,0,1824779,full.story|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925033341/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bobby-fischer21-2009sep21,0,1824779,full.story|archive-date=September 25, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
	==Early years==
	<!-- ] article links to this heading, don't rename without fixing it there -->
	Bobby Fischer was born at ] in Chicago, Illinois on March 9, 1943.<ref name="Brady1973p.2">Brady 1973, p. 2.</ref> His birth certificate listed his father as Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, also known as Gerardo Liebscher,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Chess Life|year=2004|volume=59|issue=United States Chess Federation|page=214}}</ref> a German ]. His mother, Regina Wender Fischer, was an American citizen of ]-] ] descent,<ref></ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3261419.ece |title=Bobby Fischer, chess genius, heartless son |last=Quinn |first=Ben |coauthors=Alan Hamilton |date=January 28, 2008 |publisher=The Times |accessdate=September 14, 2008 |location=London}}</ref> born in Switzerland and raised in ].<ref name="Brady1973p.2"/> She later became a teacher, a registered nurse, and then a physician.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.de/nachrichten.asp?newsid=3433 |title=Mutmaßungen über Fischer |last=Schulz |first=Von André |date=October 8, 2004 |language=German |accessdate=October 17, 2008}}</ref>
			In 1949, Regina moved the family to ]<ref>], p. 10. "In early 1949 Regina Fischer took the least expensive housing she could find when she moved the family—Bobby, Joan, and herself—to East 13th Street in Manhattan, facing the kitchen back entrance of the famed Luchow's restaurant, where many of the best chess players would occasionally dine. The Fischers could never afford to eat there. The apartment's entrance was marred by a rusty fire escape running up the front, and there was only one small bedroom—but the rent was $45 a month."</ref> and the following year to ], New York City, where she studied for her master's degree in nursing and subsequently began working in that field.<ref name="Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 5"/>
	After graduating college in her teens, Regina traveled to Germany to visit her brother. It was there that she was hired by ], a geneticist and future ] winner, who persuaded Regina to move to ] and enroll at ] to study medicine. It was there that Regina met and married Hans-Gerhardt in November 1933.<ref name="Brady 2011, pp. 7-8">Brady 2011, pp. 7-8.</ref>
			===Paul Neményi as Fischer's father===
	They had a daughter, Joan Fischer, and lived in Moscow until 1938, when the anti-semitism that was spreading under ] forced Regina to leave school and move to ], ], with Joan in tow. While in Paris, Regina became an English teacher for a short time, until the threat of a German invasion of France led her to flee with Joan to the United States in 1939. Hans-Gerhardt tried to follow Regina and Joan, but was prevented from entering the United States because he was a German citizen.<ref name="Brady 2011, pp. 7-8"/> As it turned out, Hans-Gerhardt never did come to the United States. In fact, Regina and Hans-Gerhardt had separated in Moscow (although they did not officially divorce until 1945).<ref name="Brady 2011, pp. 7-8"/> As a result, Regina was a single parent, raising Bobby along with his elder sister, Joan. Regina lived an itinerant life, shuttling between different jobs and schools all over the country, and engaging in political activism.<ref name="la-times">{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bobby-fischer21-2009sep21,0,1824779,full.story |title = Chasing the king of chess |first=Peter |last = Nicholas | date = September 21, 2009 |work=] |accessdate=September 21, 2009}}</ref> In 1948, the family moved to ], where Regina taught in an elementary school. The following year they moved to ], where she worked as an elementary school teacher and nurse.
			In 2002, Peter Nicholas and Clea Benson of '']'' published an investigative report which stated that Bobby Fischer's ] was actually ].<ref name=NicholasBenson>{{cite web|first1=Peter|last1=Nicholas|first2=Clea|last2=Benson|date=November 17, 2002|title=Files reveal how FBI hounded chess king|url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/news/13896736.html|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123044933/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/news/13896736.html|archive-date=January 23, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=LifeGame>{{cite web|first1=Peter|last1=Nicholas|first2=Clea|last2=Benson|date=February 9, 2003|title=Life is not a board game|url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/news/13891951.html|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123044921/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/news/13891951.html|archive-date=January 23, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="la-times"/>
			Neményi, a Hungarian mathematician and ] of ], specialized in continuum mechanics. His work applied geometrical solutions to fluid dynamics. Like Bobby, he was a child prodigy and won the Hungarian national mathematics competition at the age of 17.
	===Paul Nemenyi as Fischer's father===
			Benson and Nicholas continued their work and gathered additional evidence in court records, personal interviews, and a summary of an FBI investigation written by ], which confirmed their earlier conclusions.<ref name="la-times" />
	Sources implying that ], a ] ] (an expert in fluid and applied mechanics) may have been Fischer's biological father, were first made public in a 2002 investigation by Peter Nicholas and Clea Benson of '']''.<ref name="la-times"/><ref name=NicholasBenson>Nicholas, Peter, and Clea Benson. . Philadelphia Inquirer. November 17, 2002</ref><ref name=LifeGame>Nicholas, Peter, and Clea Benson. . The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 8, 2003</ref> During the 1950s, the ] investigated Regina and her circle for her ] and her previous life in Moscow.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3304339/FBI-targeted-chess-genius-Bobby-Fischer-and-his-mother.html#|title=FBI targeted chess genius Bobby Fischer and his mother|publisher=www.telegraph.co.uk|accessdate=September 13, 2008|location=London|first=Charles|last=Laurence|date=November 24, 2002}}</ref> The files from that FBI investigation into the family identify Nemenyi as Bobby's biological father. Government documents show that Hans-Gerhardt Fischer never entered the United States, having been refused admission by U.S. immigration officials because of alleged ] sympathies.<ref name=NicholasBenson/><ref>Regina Fischer entry, passenger manifest, {{SS|Manhattan|1931|6}}, January 18, 1939, p. 74, line 6, accessed January 20, 2008 via ancestry.com</ref><ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 22.</ref> Regina and Nemenyi were reported to have had an affair in 1942. Additionally, Paul Nemenyi made monthly child support payments to her, and paid for Fischer's schooling until his own death in 1952.<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 22, 135.</ref> Nemenyi also lodged complaints with social workers saying he was concerned about the way that Regina was raising the child, on one occasion breaking down in tears when making the complaints.<ref name="NicholasBenson"/> Separately, Bobby later told the Hungarian chess player Zita Rajcsanyi that Paul Nemenyi would sometimes show up at the family's Brooklyn apartment and take him on outings.<ref name="la-times" /> After Paul Nemenyi died, in 1952, Regina Fischer wrote a letter to Paul Nemenyi's first son (]), asking if Paul had left money for Bobby in his will: "Bobby was sick 2 days with fever and sore throat and of course a doctor or medicine was out of the question. I don't think Paul would have wanted to leave Bobby this way and would ask you most urgently to let me know if Paul left anything for Bobby."<ref name="NicholasBenson"/> Regina also told a social worker that the last time she had ever seen Hans-Gerhardt Fischer was in 1939, four years before Bobby was born. On another occasion, she told the same social worker she had traveled to Mexico to see Hans-Gerhardt in June 1942, and that Bobby was conceived during that meeting.<ref name="la-times"/> According to Bobby Fischer's brother-in-law, ], who was married to Bobby's half-sister, ], for 40 years, Regina concealed the fact that Nemenyi was Bobby's father because she wanted to avoid the stigma of an out-of-wedlock birth.<ref name="la-times"/>
			Throughout the 1950s, the ] investigated Regina and her circle due to her supposed communist views and due to her time living in Moscow.<ref>{{cite news|author=Charles Laurence|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3304339/FBI-targeted-chess-genius-Bobby-Fischer-and-his-mother.html|title=FBI targeted chess genius Bobby Fischer and his mother|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=November 24, 2002|access-date=September 13, 2008|location=London|archive-date=July 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701020929/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3304339/FBI-targeted-chess-genius-Bobby-Fischer-and-his-mother.html|url-status=live}}</ref> FBI files note that Hans-Gerhardt Fischer never entered the United States, while recording that Neményi took a keen interest in Fischer's upbringing.<ref name=NicholasBenson/><ref>], p. 22.</ref><ref>Regina Fischer entry, passenger manifest, {{SS|Manhattan|1931|6}}, January 18, 1939, p. 74, line 6, accessed January 20, 2008, via ancestry.com</ref> Not only were Regina and Neményi reported to have had an affair in 1942, but Neményi made monthly child support payments to Regina and paid for Bobby's schooling until Paul Neményi's death in 1952.<ref>], pp. 22, 135.</ref><ref name="la-times" />
	===Chess beginnings===		===Chess beginnings===
			] and Fischer analyzing, with ] looking on]]
			In March 1949, six-year-old Bobby and his sister Joan learned how to play ] using the instructions from a set bought at a candy store.<ref>{{cite magazine|quote=In March of 1949, on a rainy day when Bobby had just turned six, his sister, Joan … bought a plastic chess set for $1 at the ] … Neither Joan nor Bobby had ever seen a chess set before but they followed instructions printed on the inside of the top of the box{{nbsp}}...|magazine=Parade|date=October 27, 1957|page=22|title=Bobby Fischer Autobiographical Essay}} Quoted in ], pp. 10–11.</ref> When Joan lost interest in chess and Regina did not have time to play, Fischer was left to play many of his first games against himself.<ref>], pp. 10–12.</ref> When the family vacationed at ], that summer, Bobby found a book of old chess games and studied it intensely.<ref>], p. 5.</ref>
	In May 1949, the six-year-old Bobby, and his sister Joan, learned how to play ] using the instructions from a chess set bought at a candy store below their Brooklyn apartment.<ref>Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 43.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, pp. 4–5.</ref> When Joan lost interest in chess and Regina didn't have time to play, it left Fischer to play many of his first games against himself.<ref>Brady 2011, pp. 10–12.</ref> When the family vacationed at ], ] that summer, Bobby found a book of old chess games, and studied it intensely.<ref>Brady 1973, p. 5.</ref> On November 14, 1950, his mother sent a postcard to the '']'' newspaper, seeking to place an ad, inquiring whether other children of Bobby's age might be interested in playing chess with him. The paper rejected her ad because no one could figure out how to classify it, but forwarded her inquiry to ], the "Dean of American Chess", who told her that ] ] would be giving a ] on January 17, 1951.<ref>Fischer 1959, p. xi.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, pp. 5–6.</ref> Fischer played in the exhibition, losing in 15 minutes. One of the spectators was ], president of the Brooklyn Chess Club, who introduced Fischer to the club and began teaching him.<ref>Fischer 1959, pp. xi–xii.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, p. 7.</ref><ref>Brady 2011, pp. 19–20.</ref> Fischer attended the club regularly, intensified his interest, and gained playing strength rapidly. In the summer of 1955, the then 12-year-old Fischer joined the ], the strongest in the country.<ref>Fischer 1959, p. xii.</ref><ref>Brady 2011, pp. 38–39.</ref> Fischer's relationship with Nigro lasted five years, from 1951 to 1956,<ref>Brady 2011, p. 52.</ref><ref name=a>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/us/carmine-nigro-91-bobby-fischer-s-first-chess-teacher.html|title=Carmine Nigro, 91, Bobby Fischer's First Chess Teacher |date=September 2, 2001|publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=August 24, 2013}}</ref> when Nigro moved away to Florida.<ref name=a />		In 1950, the family moved to Brooklyn, first to an apartment at the corner of Union Street and Franklin Avenue and later to a two-bedroom apartment at 560 Lincoln Place.<ref>], p. 12.</ref> It was there that "Fischer soon became so engrossed in the game that Regina feared he was spending too much time alone."<ref name="Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 5"/> As a result, on November 14, 1950, Regina sent a postcard to the '']'' newspaper, seeking to place an ad inquiring whether other children of Bobby's age might be interested in playing chess with him. The paper rejected her ad, because no one could figure out how to classify it, but forwarded her inquiry to ], the "Dean of American Chess", who told her that ] ], former Scottish champion, would be giving a ] on January 17, 1951.<ref>], p. xi.</ref><ref>], pp. 5–6.</ref> Fischer played in the exhibition. Although he held on for 15 minutes, drawing a crowd of onlookers, he eventually lost to the chess master.<ref>], pp. 17–18.</ref>
			One of the spectators was Brooklyn Chess Club President<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 18">], p. 18.</ref> ], an American ] of near master strength and an instructor.<ref>], p. 20.</ref> Nigro was so impressed with Fischer's play<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 18"/> that he introduced him to the club and began teaching him.<ref>], pp. xi–xii.</ref><ref>], p. 7.</ref><ref>], pp. 19–21.</ref> Fischer noted of his time with Nigro: "Mr. Nigro was possibly not the best player in the world, but he was a very good teacher. Meeting him was probably a decisive factor in my going ahead with chess."<ref>], p. 2.</ref>
	Carmine Nigro introduced Fischer to future grandmaster ],<ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 18.</ref> and, starting in September 1954,<ref>{{cite news |last=West |first=Jim |url=http://jimwestonchess.blogspot.com/2011/11/understanding-chess-by-gm-lombardy.html |title="Understanding Chess" by GM Lombardy, Chess Blog by National Master Jim West |publisher=jimwestonchess.blogspot.com |date=2011-11-22 |accessdate=2013-07-03}}</ref> Lombardy began coaching Fischer in private,<ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 136.</ref> training him to be totally immersed in the game: "We spent hours in our sessions, simply playing over quality games", and that he "tried to instill in Bobby the secret of own speedy rise. Eidetic Imagery and Total Immersion."<ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 23.</ref> Based on a 1956 game Lombardy played against Pavilias Vaitonis (in which he agreed to a draw offer after only 13 moves), he advised Fischer to play for wins, rather than draws: "Do not accept draw offers. For an ambitious and talented player, accepting a draw is death to a top result. Opponents fear an uncompromising opponent and thus make more mistakes. Act as I advise and do not copy my timidity."<ref name="Lombardy 2011, p. 297">Lombardy 2011, p. 297.</ref> Lombardy served as Fischer's teacher and coach from 1954 through the 1972 World Chess Championship Match.<ref>"That I was Bobby's only chess teacher from , and right through Reykjavik is a fact." Lombardy 2011, p. 15.</ref><ref> "...I met and spent time with Grandmaster William Lombardy, who of course figured so prominently in Bobby Fischer's rise to the World Chess title." Ponterotto 2012, p. xx.</ref>
			Nigro hosted Fischer's first chess tournament at his home in 1952.<ref>], p. 21.</ref> In the summer of 1955, Fischer, then 12 years old, joined the ].<ref>], p. xii.</ref><ref>], pp. 38–39.</ref> Fischer's relationship with Nigro lasted until 1956, when Nigro moved away.<ref>], p. 52.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/us/carmine-nigro-91-bobby-fischer-s-first-chess-teacher.html|title=Carmine Nigro, 91, Bobby Fischer's First Chess Teacher|date=September 2, 2001|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=August 24, 2013|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915104312/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/us/carmine-nigro-91-bobby-fischer-s-first-chess-teacher.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
	In June 1956, Fischer began attending the "Hawthorne Chess Club", which was actually master ]' home. "A mentor and a friend, Fischer played thousands of ] and offhand games with Collins and other strong players, began studying the books in Collins' large chess library, and ate almost as many dinners at Collins' home as his own."<ref>Fischer 1959, p. xiii.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, pp. 10–11.</ref><ref>Collins 1974, pp. 34–35.</ref>
			===The Hawthorne Chess Club===
	Future grandmaster ] was also a mentor to young Bobby, often taking him to watch the ] play ] at ]. Denker wrote that Bobby enjoyed those treats and never forgot them; the two became lifelong friends.<ref>Denker & Parr 1995, p. 107.</ref>
			In June 1956, Fischer began attending the Hawthorne Chess Club, based in master ]'s home.<ref>], p. 6.</ref> Collins taught chess to children, and has been described as Fischer's teacher,<ref name="nytbio">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/04/nyregion/john-w-collins-89-dies-was-fischer-s-chess-tutor.html|title=John W. Collins, 89, Dies; Was Fischer's Chess Tutor|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Dylan Loeb McClain|date=December 4, 2001|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915160949/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/04/nyregion/john-w-collins-89-dies-was-fischer-s-chess-tutor.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>], p. 47. "'He taught Bobby Fischer to play chess' is the way I am sometimes publicly and privately introduced."</ref> but Collins himself suggested that he did not actually teach Fischer,<ref>"Collins, for his part, said that he never 'taught' Bobby in the strictest sense" and that Fischer "knew before instructed". ], pp. 48–49. Quoted in ], p. 52.</ref> and the relationship might be more accurately described as one of mentorship.<ref>"Fischer was also extremely fortunate in having John W. (Jack) Collins, a chess master, who was a friend, guide, and mentor to him during his early formative years". Arthur Bisguier, in ], p. 44.</ref>
			Fischer played thousands of ] and offhand games with Collins and other strong players, studied the books in Collins' large chess library, and ate almost as many dinners at Collins' home as his own.<ref>], pp. 10–11.</ref><ref>], pp. 34–35.</ref><ref>], p. xiii.</ref>
	Fischer was also involved with the Log Cabin Chess Club of ], which in March 1956 took him on a tour to ], where he gave a 12-board simultaneous exhibition at Havana's Capablanca Chess Club, winning ten and drawing two.<ref>Brady 1973, p. 15.</ref><ref>Collins 1974, pp. 55–56.</ref> On this tour the club played a series of matches against other clubs. Fischer played on ], behind strong master ]. Whitaker and Fischer were the leading scorers for the club, each scoring 5½ points out of 7 games.<ref>''The New York Times'', March 5, 1956, p. 36. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 49.</ref>
			==Young champion==
	Fischer attended ] at the same time as ] and ].<ref>Andersen 2006, pp. 15, 41. Streisand later said that Fischer was "always alone and very peculiar ... But I found him very sexy". ''Id.'' at 41.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last = Boyer|first = David|title = NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: FLATBUSH; Grads Hail Erasmus as It Enters a Fourth Century|newspaper = The New York Times|date = March 11, 2001| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flatbush-grads-hail-erasmus-as-it-enters-a-fourth-century.html| accessdate = August 15, 2009}}</ref> In 1959, its student council awarded him a gold medal for his chess achievements.<ref>Brady 1965, p. 1, 25.</ref><ref>Collins 1974, p. 52.</ref> The same year, Fischer dropped out of high school when he turned age 16, the earliest he could legally do so.<ref>Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 47.</ref><ref>Brady 1965, p. 25.</ref> He later explained to ], "You don't learn anything in school. It's just a waste of time."<ref>Ginzburg 1962, p. 51.</ref>
			]
			In March 1956, the Log Cabin Chess Club of ] (based in the home of the club's eccentric multi-millionaire founder and patron Elliott Forry Laucks), took Fischer on a tour to ], where he gave a 12-board simultaneous exhibition at Havana's Capablanca Chess Club, winning ten games and drawing two.<ref>], p. 15.</ref><ref>], pp. 55–56.</ref> On this tour the club played a series of matches against other clubs. Fischer played {{chessgloss|first board|second board}}, behind International Master ]. Whitaker and Fischer were the club's leading scorers, each scoring 5½ points out of 7 games.<ref>''The New York Times'', March 5, 1956, p. 36. Quoted in ], p. 49.</ref>
			Fischer experienced a "meteoric rise" in his playing strength during 1956.<ref>] p. 56.</ref> On the tenth national rating list of the United States Chess Federation (USCF), published on May 20, 1956, his rating was a modest 1726,<ref>''Chess Life'', May 20, 1956, p. 4. Also available on DVD (p. 76 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").</ref> over 900 points below top-rated Samuel Reshevsky (2663).<ref>''Chess Life'', May 20, 1956, p. 1. Also available on DVD (p. 73 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").</ref> Fischer's first real tournament success occurred in July 1956, when he won the US Junior Chess Championship in Philadelphia. He scored 8½/10 to become the youngest-ever Junior Champion at age 13,<ref>''Chess Life'', July 20, 1956, p. 1. Also available on DVD (p. 105 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").</ref><ref>], p. 100.</ref> a record that still stands. At the 1956 ] in ], he scored 8½/12 to tie for 4th–8th places, with ] winning.<ref>], p. 101.</ref> In the first ] at Montreal 1956, he scored 7/10 to tie for 8th–12th places, with ] winning.<ref>], p. 105.</ref> In November, Fischer played in the 1956 Eastern States Open Championship in Washington, D.C., tying for second with ], ], and ], with ] taking first by a half-point.<ref>], p. 76.</ref>
	When Fischer was 16, his mother moved out of their apartment to pursue medical training. Her friend ], who had met Regina when the two were "idealistic communists" living in Moscow in the 1930s, believes that Fischer resented his mother for being mostly absent as a mother, a communist activist and an admirer of the Soviet Union, and that this led to his hatred for the Soviet Union. In letters to Rodker, Fischer's mother states her desire to pursue her own "obsession" of training in medicine and writes that her son would have to live in their Brooklyn apartment without her: "It sounds terrible to leave a 16-year-old to his own devices, but he is probably happier that way."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3261419.ece |title=Bobby Fischer, chess genius, heartless son |last=Quinn |first=Ben |coauthors=Hamilton, Alan |date=January 28, 2008 |publisher=Times Newspapers Ltd |accessdate=October 4, 2008 |location=London}}</ref> The apartment was on the edge of ], a neighborhood that had one of the highest homicide and general crime rates in New York City.<ref>Ginzburg 1962, p. 55.</ref> Despite the alienation from her son, Regina in 1960 staged a five-hour protest in front of the ] urging President ] to send an American team to that year's chess Olympiad (set for Leipzig, East Germany, behind the ]), and to help support the team financially.<ref>{{cite news |title=Life is not a board game/page 3 of 7 |last1=Nicholas |first1=Peter |last2=Benson |first2=Clea |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=February 9, 2003 |url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/news/13891951.html |accessdate=July 10, 2010 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080123044921/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/news/13891951.html |archivedate=January 4, 2013}}</ref>
	{{Clear}}
			Fischer accepted an invitation to play in the Third ] Trophy Tournament in New York City in October 1956, a premier tournament limited to the 12 players considered the best in the US.<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 16">], p. 16.</ref> Playing against top opposition, the 13-year-old Fischer could only score 4½/11, tying for 8th–9th place.<ref>], p. 108.</ref> Yet he won the {{chessgloss|brilliancy prize}}<ref>], p. 65.</ref> for his game against International Master ],<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 16"/> in which Fischer sacrificed his queen to unleash an unstoppable attack. ] called it "]",<ref>], p. 48.</ref> writing: "The following game, a stunning masterpiece of {{chessgloss|combination}} play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies."<ref>'']'', December 1956, p. 374. Also available on DVD (p. 418 in ''Chess Review 1956'' PDF file).</ref><ref>{{cite book
	===Collins myth===
			|author =Fred Wilson|quote=While, objectively, it is not one of the greatest games ever played, it is certainly the finest game ever produced by one so young
			|title=A Picture History of Chess
			|year=1981|page=170
			|publisher=Dover
			|isbn=978-0-486-23856-2
			}}</ref> According to Frank Brady, {{"'}}The Game of the Century' has been talked about, analyzed, and admired for more than fifty years, and it will probably be a part of the canon of chess for many years to come."<ref>], p. 64.</ref> "In reflecting on his game a while after it occurred, Bobby was refreshingly modest: 'I just made the moves I thought were best. I was just lucky.{{'"}}<ref>{{em|] wire story}}, February 24, 1957. Quoted in ], p. 64.</ref>
			In 1957, Fischer played a two-game match against former world champion ] at New York, losing ½–1½.<ref>], p. 123.</ref><ref name="Brady 1973, p. 17"/><ref>], p. 67. "To wrest a draw from a former World Champion was neither small cheese nor minor chess, but Bobby was unhappy since he'd lost the match, 1½–½."</ref> When the ] published its rating list in May, Fischer had the rank of Master, the youngest player to earn that title up to that point.<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 17">], p. 17.</ref> In July, he successfully defended his US Junior title, scoring 8½/9 at San Francisco.<ref>], p. 127.</ref> In August, he scored 10/12 at the US Open Chess Championship in ], winning on ] over Arthur Bisguier.<ref>], p. 130.</ref><ref name="Collins 1974, p. 56">], p. 56.</ref> This made Fischer the youngest ever US Open Champion.<ref>'']'', September 1957, p. 260. Also available on DVD (p. 294 in "Chess Review 1957" PDF file).</ref><ref>], p. 75. "No one as young as Bobby had won the United States Open before, and no one had ever held the United States Junior and Open titles concurrently. When Bobby returned to New York, both the Marshall and Manhattan chess clubs conducted victory celebrations, and he was lauded as America's new chess hero."</ref> He won the New Jersey Open Championship, scoring 6½/7.<ref>], pp. 138–40.</ref> He then defeated the young Filipino master ] 6–2 in a New York match sponsored by ].<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 19">], p. 19.</ref><ref>], pp. 135–37.</ref>
	There has been a long-held belief that Collins was Fischer's teacher and coach, as well as a teacher and coach for William Lombardy, ], ], Raymond Weinstein, Salvatore Matera, and Lewis Cohen.<ref name="nytbio">{{cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EEDB1F3DF937A35751C1A9679C8B63 | title= John W. Collins, 89, Dies; Was Fischer's Chess Tutor | publisher=New York Times | author=Dylan Loeb McClain | date=2001-12-04}}</ref><ref>Brady 1973, p. 12.</ref><ref>Brady, 2011, p. 50</ref><ref>{{"'}}He taught Bobby Fischer to play chess{{'"}} is the way I am sometimes publicly and privately introduced.Collins 1974, p. 47.</ref> Some have gone as far as to call Collins "the ] of American chess",<ref>Brady 2011, p. 249.</ref> while others refer to Collins as Fischer's "mentor", not his teacher or coach.<ref>Collins was Bobby Fischer's "mentor". Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 6, 30, and 221.</ref><ref>Collins was Fischer's "mentor". Donaldson & Tangborn 1999, p. 27.</ref><ref>"Collins was my friend and mentor but not my teacher". Lombardy 2011, p. 24.</ref><ref>"Fischer was also extremely fortunate in having John W. (Jack) Collins, a chess master, who was a friend, guide, and mentor to him during his early formative years". Bisguier in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 44.</ref> Collins himself states he did not teach Bobby Fischer, Robert Byrne, William Lombardy, or Donald Byrne, <ref>"Collins, for his part, said that he never "taught" Bobby in the strictest sense," and that Fischer "knew before instructed."Collins 1974, pp. 48-49. quoted in Brady 2011, p. 52.</ref><ref>"I did not give Bob any formal lessons." Collins 1974, p. 102.</ref><ref>"I never actually gave Bill any lessons." Collins 1974, p. 137.</ref><ref>"Don never had any lessons from me or anybody else." Collins 1974, p. 171.</ref> yet taught Raymond Weinstein,<ref>Collins 1974, p. 201.</ref> Sal Matera, <ref>Collins 1974, p. 243.</ref> and Lewis Cohen.<ref>Collins 1974, p. 282.</ref>
			===Wins first US title===
	Lombardy says of Collins as a chess teacher and coach:<ref>Lombardy 2011, p. 219, and 28.</ref><blockquote>Jack Collins was not in any way capable of teaching me, the Byrne Brothers, Raymond Weinstein, let alone Bobby Fischer. All had entered his home in friendship and were already superior masters, far past the ability of Collins to impart anything but trivial knowledge...I cannot imagine even today that anyone could consider that Collins had the strength of knowledge to coach the champion that Bobby already was by the time he reached Collins apartment! Somehow the myth of Collins' professional skills persists. Back then because Collins was in a wheelchair, I did not desire to burst his bubble... with my misplaced sympathy for Collins gone, I attempt to correct and inform.</blockquote>
			Based on Fischer's rating and strong results, the USCF invited him to play in the 1957/58 ].<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Kenneth Harkness
			|title=Official Chess Handbook
			|year=1967|page=272
			|publisher=David McKay
			|asin=B009NNTGSM
			}}</ref> The tournament included six-time US champion ], defending US champion Arthur Bisguier, and William Lombardy, who in August had won the ].<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 20">], p. 20.</ref> Bisguier predicted that Fischer would "finish slightly over the center mark".<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 20"/><ref>A writer in '']'', apparently Editor Fred M. Wren, expected Fischer to score about 50%. "The Monday-Morning Quarterback Speaks", ''Chess Life'', January 20. 1958, p. 4. Also available on DVD (p. 12 on ''Chess Life 1958'' PDF file).</ref> Despite all the predictions to the contrary, Fischer scored eight wins and five draws to win the tournament by a one-point margin, with 10½/13.<ref>], p. 51.</ref><ref>], p. 196.</ref> Still two months shy of his 15th birthday, Fischer became the youngest ever US Champion.<ref>], pp. 20–21.</ref> Since the championship that year was also the US ], Fischer's victory earned him the title of ].<ref>], (citing ''Chess Life'', February 5, 1958).</ref><ref>Edward Winter, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804082407/http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter65.html#6434._St_Petersburg_1895-96 |date=August 4, 2019 }} (citing ''FIDE Revue'', April 1958, p. 106).</ref> Fischer's victory in the US Championship qualified him to participate in the 1958 ] Interzonal, the next step toward challenging the World Champion.<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 19"/>
			==Grandmaster, candidate, and author==
	==Young champion==
			In 1957, Fischer wanted to go to Moscow. At his pleading, "Regina wrote directly to the Soviet leader, ], requesting an invitation for Fischer to participate in the 6th ] of 1957. The reply—affirmative—came too late for him to go."<ref>], p. 8.</ref> Regina did not have the money to pay the airfare, but in 1958, Fischer was invited onto the game show '']'', where, thanks to Regina's efforts, the producers of the show arranged two round-trip tickets to the Soviet Union, for Bobby and his sister Joan.<ref>], pp. 89–90.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ortpQ8nQuH8 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/ortpQ8nQuH8| archive-date=October 28, 2021|title="Teenage Appreciation" episode of "I've Got a Secret" |date=March 26, 1958|time=17:40|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
	Fischer experienced a "meteoric rise" in his playing strength during 1956.<ref>Brady 2011, p. 53.</ref> On the tenth national rating list of the ] (USCF), published on May 20, 1956, his ] was a modest 1726,<ref>'']'', May 20, 1956, p. 4. Also available on DVD (p. 76 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").</ref> over 900 points below top-rated ] (2663).<ref>'']'', May 20, 1956, p. 1. Also available on DVD (p. 73 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").</ref>
			Once in Russia, Fischer was invited by the Soviet Union to Moscow,<ref>{{cite letter|title=none|quote=The Soviet Union had agreed to invite Bobby to Moscow, and generously pay all expenses for him and his sister{{nbsp}}...|via=Marshall Chess Foundation Archive|author=Regina Fischer|recipient=Bobby Fischer|date=June 1958}} Quoted in ], p. 93.</ref> where International Master Lev Abramov would serve as a guide to Bobby and his sister, Joan.<ref>], p. 91.</ref> Upon arrival, Fischer immediately demanded that he be taken to the Moscow Central Chess Club,<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 92">], p. 92.</ref> where he played ] with "two young Soviet masters", ] and Alexander Nikitin,<ref>], p. 9.</ref> winning every game.<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 92"/> Chess author V. I. Linder writes about the impression Fischer gave grandmaster (GM) ] when he played blitz against the Soviet masters: {{blockquote|Back in 1958, in the Central Chess Club, Vladimir Alatortsev saw a tall, angular 15-year-old youth, who in blitz games, crushed almost everyone who crossed his path… Alatortsev was no exception, losing all three games. He was astonished by the young American Robert Fischer's play, his fantastic self-confidence, amazing chess erudition, and simply brilliant play! Vladimir said in admiration to his wife on arriving home: "This is the future world champion!"<ref>Linder V.I. & Linder I.M. 1994. Quoted in ], pp. 120–21.</ref>}}
	In July 1956, Fischer won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, scoring 8½/10 at Philadelphia to become the youngest-ever Junior Champion at age 13,<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 100.</ref> a record that still stands. In the 1956 ] at Oklahoma City, Fischer scored 8½/12 to tie for 4th–8th places, with ] winning.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 101.</ref> In the first ] at Montreal 1956, he scored 7/10 to tie for 8–12th places, with ] winning.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 105.</ref> In November, Fischer played in the 1956 Eastern States Open Championship in ]. He tied for second with William Lombardy, ], and ], with ] taking first by a half point.<ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 76.</ref>
			Fischer demanded to play against ], the reigning World Champion. When told that this was impossible, Fischer asked to play ]. "Finally, ] was, on a semi-official basis, summoned to the club{{nbsp}}…" where he played speed games with Fischer, winning the majority.<ref>{{cite book
	Fischer accepted an invitation to play in the Third ] Trophy Tournament at New York City 1956, a premier tournament limited to the 12 players considered the best in the country.<ref name="Brady1973p.16">Brady 1973, p. 16.</ref> Fischer received entry by special consideration, since his rating was certainly not among the top 12 in the country at that stage. In that elite company, the 13-year-old Fischer could only score 4½/11, tying for 8th–9th place.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 108.</ref> This was his first truly strong ] event, and he achieved a creditable result, certainly above what his rating predicted.
			|author=Harry Golombek|pages=236–37
			|title=Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess
			|year=1977
			|publisher=Crown Publishers
			|isbn=978-0-517-53146-4
			}}. Quoted in ], p. 93.</ref> "When Bobby discovered that he wasn't going to play any formal games … he went into a not-so-silent rage",<ref>], p. 94.</ref> saying he was fed up "with these Russian pigs,"<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Daniel Johnson
			|title=White King and Red Queen: How the Cold War Was Fought on the Chessboard
			|year=2007|page=
			|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
			|isbn=978-0-547-13337-9
			|url=https://archive.org/details/whitekingredquee00john
			|url-access=registration
			}}. Quoted in ], p. 94.</ref> which angered the Soviets who saw Fischer as their honored guest. It was then that the Yugoslavian chess officials offered to take in Fischer and Joan as early guests to the ]. Fischer took them up on the offer, arriving in Yugoslavia to play two short training matches against masters ] and ].<ref>], pp. 94–96.</ref> Fischer drew both games against Janošević and then defeated Matulović in ] by 2½–1½.<ref>], pp. 163–64.</ref>
			At Portorož, Fischer was accompanied by Lombardy.<ref>], pp. 98–100.</ref><ref>], p. 26.</ref> The top six finishers in the Interzonal would qualify for the ].<ref>], p. 25.</ref> Most observers doubted that a 15-year-old with no international experience could finish among the six qualifiers at the Interzonal, but Fischer told journalist Miro Radoicic, "I can draw with the grandmasters, and there are half-a-dozen {{chessgloss|patzer|patzers}} in the tournament I reckon to beat."<ref>], "From Portorož to Petrosian", in ], p. 332.</ref>{{efn|1=Just before Larsen played Fischer in their individual game, Larsen predicted that he would be victorious, only to find out quite the opposite: "Once we were well into the tournament, Larsen, ] and I were engaged in a friendly debate over Fischer's performance. 'Lucky to have 50%!' quipped Larsen, who went on to say, 'I will spank that baby!'… With wisdom Fridrik supplied a thought for me, 'Watch out the baby doesn't spank you!' At that comment, Larsen waved his hand. In the very next round, Fischer crushed Larsen{{nbsp}}..."<ref>], p. 87.</ref>}} Despite some bumps in the road and a problematic start, Fischer succeeded in his plan: after a strong finish, he ended up with 12/20 (+6−2=12) to tie for 5th–6th.<ref>]. pp. 332–34, 347.</ref> The Soviet GM ] observed,
	He won the first ] for his game against Donald Byrne.<ref name="Brady1973p.16"/> ] christened it "]", writing, "The following game, a stunning masterpiece of ] play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies."<ref>'']'', December 1956, p. 374. Also available on DVD (p. 418 on ''Chess Review 1956'' PDF file).</ref> {{"'}}The Game of the Century' has been talked about, analyzed, and admired for more than fifty years, and it will probably be a part of the canon of chess for many years to come."<ref>Brady 2011, p. 64.</ref> "In reflecting on his game a while after it occurred, Bobby was refreshingly modest: 'I just made the moves I thought were best. I was just lucky.{{'"}}<ref>''AP wire story'', February 24, 1957. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 64.</ref>
			{{blockquote|In the struggle at the board this youth, almost still a child, showed himself to be a full-fledged fighter, demonstrating amazing composure, precise calculation and devilish resourcefulness. I was especially struck not even by his extensive opening knowledge, but his striving everywhere to seek new paths. In Fischer's play an enormous talent was noticeable, and in addition one sensed an enormous amount of work on the study of chess.<ref>], pp. 225–26.</ref>}}
	In 1957, Fischer played a two-game match against former World Champion ] at New York, losing ½–1½.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 123.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, p. 17.</ref> On the USCF's eleventh national rating list, published on May 5, 1957, Fischer was rated 2231, a ]—over 500 points higher than his rating a year before.<ref>'']'', May 5, 1957, p. 3. Also available on DVD (p. 67 in "Chess Life 1957" PDF file").</ref> This made him at that time the country's youngest master ever.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessville.com/BillWall/FischerTrivia.htm|title=Bobby Fischer Trivia|last=Wall|first=Bill|date=2002–2008|publisher=Chessville.com |accessdate=October 4, 2008}}</ref> In July, Fischer successfully defended his U.S. Junior title, scoring 8½/9 at San Francisco.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 127.</ref> In August, he played in the U.S. Open Chess Championship at ], scoring 10/12 and winning on ] over Arthur Bisguier,<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 130.</ref><ref name="Collinsp.56">Collins 1974, p. 56.</ref> making Fischer the youngest U.S. Open Champion ever.<ref>'']'', September 1957, p. 260. Also available on DVD (p. 294 in "Chess Review 1957" PDF file).</ref> He next won the New Jersey Open Championship, scoring 6½/7.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 138–40.</ref> Fischer then defeated the young Filipino master ] 6–2 in a New York match sponsored by ].<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 135–37.</ref><ref name="Brady 1973, p. 19">Brady 1973, p. 19.</ref>
			Soviet GM ] said of Fischer's time in Portorož: "It was interesting for me to observe Fischer, but for a long time I couldn't understand why this 15-year-old boy played chess so well."<ref>], pp. 20–21.</ref> Fischer became the youngest person ever to qualify for the Candidates and the youngest-ever grandmaster at the time, aged 15 years, 6 months, 1 day.{{efn|1=This record stood until 1991, when it was broken by ].<ref>{{cite book
	===Wins first U.S. title===
			|author =Cathy Forbes|page=171
	Based on Fischer's rating and strong results, the USCF invited him to play in the 1957–58 ].<ref>Harkness 1967, p. 272.</ref> The tournament included such luminaries as six-time champion Samuel Reshevsky, defending champion Bisguier, and William Lombardy, who in August had won the ] with the only perfect score (11–0) in its history.<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 20">Brady 1973, p. 20.</ref><ref>Kažić 1974, pp. 273–74.</ref> Fischer was expected to score around 50%. Bisguier predicted that Fischer would "finish slightly over the center mark".<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 20"/><ref>A writer in '']'', apparently Editor Fred M. Wren, expected Fischer to score about 50%. "The Monday-Morning Quarterback Speaks", ''Chess Life'', January 20. 1958, p. 4. Also available on DVD (p. 12 on ''Chess Life 1958'' PDF file).</ref> He scored eight wins and five draws to win the tournament with 10½/13, a point ahead of Reshevsky.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 51.</ref><ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 196.</ref> Still two months shy of his 15th birthday, he became the youngest U.S. Champion in history<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 20–21.</ref>—a record that still stands.<ref>In 2005, at age 16, ] became the youngest champion since Fischer. ] and ], "Nakamura, Goletiani Soar to the Top at the U.S. Championship", ''Chess Life'', February 2005, p. 9; ], "Nakamura Claims U.S. Championship!", ''Chess Life'', July 2009, p. 35. The champions since then—], ], ], Nakamura himself in 2009, and ]—have all been older.</ref> Since the championship that year was also the U.S. ], Fischer's victory earned him the ] title.<ref>], (citing ''Chess Life'', February 5, 1958).</ref><ref>Edward Winter, (citing ''FIDE Revue'', April 1958, p. 106).</ref>
			|title=The Polgar Sisters: Training or Genius?
			|year=1992
			|publisher=Henry Holt
			|isbn=978-0-8050-2426-5
			}}</ref>}} "By then everyone knew we had a genius on our hands."<ref>{{cite interview|title=Interview|subject=]|medium=television documentary|work=Anything to Win: The Mad Genius of Bobby Fischer|date=April 9, 2006}}</ref>
			Before the Candidates' Tournament, Fischer won the 1958/59 US Championship (scoring 8½/11).<ref>], p. 301.</ref> He tied for third (with ]) in ] (scoring 10/14), a half-point behind ] and ].<ref>], p. 340.</ref> He tied for 4th–6th at ] (scoring 7½/12) behind Ivkov, Pachman, and ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wall|first=Bill|title=Bobby Fischer's Tournaments and Matches|url=http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/articles/fischer_tourneys.htm|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=billwall.phpwebhosting.com|archive-date=June 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624141515/http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/articles/fischer_tourneys.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>], p. 356.</ref> At the ] International Tournament, spring 1959, Fischer finished a point behind future world champion ] and a half-point behind Yugoslavian GM ].<ref>], p. 28.</ref><ref>], p. 27.</ref><ref>], pp. 165, 171, 176.</ref>
			Although Fischer had ended his formal education at age 16, dropping out of ] in Brooklyn, he subsequently taught himself several foreign languages, including ], so he could read foreign chess periodicals.<ref>Paul Keres "From the Opposite Side of the Board" in ]</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Barden |first=Leonard |date=March 4, 2011 |title=Fascination with Bobby Fischer shows no sign of reaching its endgame |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/mar/04/chess-bobby-fischer |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leitão |first=Rafael |date=August 20, 2017 |title=Lies And Truths About Bobby Fischer: Take The Test! |url=https://rafaelleitao.com/lies-and-truths-bobby-fischer/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=Rafael Leitão |language=en-US |archive-date=January 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116060848/https://rafaelleitao.com/lies-and-truths-bobby-fischer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Latvian chess master ], even he and Tal could not match the commitment that Fischer had made to chess. Recalling a conversation from the tournament: {{blockquote|"Tell me, Bobby," Tal continued, "what do you think of the playing style of ]?" "She's too cautious. But you have another girl, ]. Her games do appeal to me!" Here we were left literally open-mouthed in astonishment. Misha and I have looked at thousands of games, but it never occurred to us to study our women players' games. How could we find the time for this?! Yet Bobby, it turns out, had found the time!<ref>], p. 41.</ref>}}
			Until late 1959, Fischer "had dressed atrociously for a champion, appearing at the most august and distinguished national and international events in sweaters and corduroys."<ref>], p. 34.</ref> Now, encouraged by ] to dress more smartly, Fischer "began buying suits from all over the world, hand-tailored and made to order."<ref>], p. 35.</ref><ref>], p. 136. "At 16 he was able to earn his living from chess, and soon began to dress well, with suits tailored in London and New York."</ref> He told journalist ] that he had 17 hand-tailored suits and that all of his shirts and shoes were handmade.<ref>], pp. 53–54.</ref>
			At the age of 16, Fischer finished equal fifth out of eight at the ] in ]/]/], Yugoslavia,<ref>], p. 310.</ref> scoring 12½/28. He was outclassed by tournament winner Tal, who won all four of their individual games.<ref>], p. 356.</ref> That year, Fischer released his first book of collected games: ''Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess'', published by Simon & Schuster.<ref>], pp. 105, 125.</ref>
			===Drops out of school===
			Fischer's interest in chess became more important than schoolwork, to the point that "by the time he reached the fourth grade, he'd been in and out of six schools."<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Joseph G. Ponterotto
			|title=A Psychobiography of Bobby Fischer
			|url=https://archive.org/details/psychobiographyb00gjos
			|url-access=limited
			|year=2012|page=
			|publisher=Charles C. Thomas
			|isbn=978-0-398-08742-5
			}}</ref> In 1952, Regina got Bobby a scholarship (based on his chess talent and "astronomically high IQ") to Brooklyn Community Woodward.<ref>], p. 25. "Attempts by Regina and Joan to engage Bobby in schoolwork were usually fruitless. Bobby could concentrate on puzzles or chess for hours, but he fidgeted and grew restless when confronted with reading, writing, and arithmetic… he was accepted by Community Woodward with the understanding that he'd teach the other students to play, and also as a result of his astronomically high IQ test score of 180."</ref> Fischer later attended ] at the same time as ] and ].<ref>{{Cite book
			|author=Christopher Andersen|author-link=Christopher Andersen
			|title=Barbra: The Way She Is
			|url=https://archive.org/details/barbrawaysheis00ande_234|url-access=limited|year=2006
			|publisher=HarperCollins
			|isbn=978-0-06-056256-4|pages=, 41
			}} Streisand later said that Fischer was "always alone and very peculiar&nbsp;… But I found him very sexy." ''Id.'' at 41.</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=David Boyer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flatbush-grads-hail-erasmus-as-it-enters-a-fourth-century.html |title=NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: FLATBUSH; Grads Hail Erasmus as It Enters a Fourth Century |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 11, 2001 |access-date=August 15, 2009 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204182956/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04EED8143AF932A25750C0A9679C8B63 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1959, its student council awarded him a gold medal for his chess achievements.<ref>], pp. 1, 25.</ref><ref>], p. 52.</ref> The same year, Fischer dropped out of high school when he turned 16, the earliest he could legally do so.<ref>Arthur Bisguier, in ], p. 47.</ref><ref>], p. 25.</ref> He later explained to Ralph Ginzburg, "You don't learn anything in school."<ref>], p. 51.</ref><ref>], p. 261. "In his junior year Bobby left school for good because 'the stuff they teach you in school I can't use one way or the other.{{'"}}</ref>
			When Fischer was 16, his mother moved out of their apartment to pursue medical training. Her friend ], who had met Regina when the two were "idealistic communists" living in Moscow in the 1930s, believes that Fischer resented his mother for being mostly absent, a communist activist, and an admirer of the Soviet Union, and that this led to his hatred for the Soviets. In letters to Rodker, Fischer's mother stated her desire to pursue her own "obsession" of training in medicine and wrote that her son would have to live in their Brooklyn apartment without her: "It sounds terrible to leave a 16-year-old to his own devices, but he is probably happier that way".<ref name="Quinn"/> The apartment was on the edge of ], a neighborhood that had one of the highest homicide and general crime rates in New York City.<ref>], p. 55.</ref> Despite the alienation from her son, Regina, in 1960, protested the practices of the American Chess Foundation<ref>], p. 131. "Probing into the activities of the American Chess Foundation, she demonstrated that some players (such as Reshevsky) received support while others (such as Bobby) did not… she sent out indignant press releases, letters to the government demanding a public accounting."</ref> and staged a five-hour protest in front of the ], urging President ] to send an American team to ] (set for ], ], behind the ]) and to help support the team financially.<ref name=LifeGame/>
	==U.S. Championships==
	Fischer played in eight U.S. Chess Championships, each held in New York City, winning every one.<ref name="BisguierSoltis1974pp.282-84">Bisguier & Soltis 1974, pp. 282–84.</ref><ref>Hooper & Whyld 1992, pp. 136–37.</ref> His margin of victory was always at least one point.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 51 (1-point margin in 1957–58), 57 (1-point margin in 1958–59), 62 (1-point margin in 1959–60), 67 (2-point margin in 1960–61), 71 (1-point margin in 1962–63), 77 (2½-point margin in 1963–64), 82 (1-point margin in 1965–66), 87 (2-point margin in 1966–67).</ref>
			==US Championships==
	His results were:<ref name="BisguierSoltis1974pp.282-84"/><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 51, 57, 62, 67, 71, 76, 82, 87.</ref><ref name="Müller 2009, pp. 399-400">Müller 2009, pp. 399-400.</ref>
			Fischer played in eight US Championships, winning all of them by at least a one-point margin.<ref name="Bisguier & Soltis 1974, pp. 282-84">], pp. 282–84.</ref><ref>], pp. 136–37.</ref><ref>], pp. 51 (1-point margin in 1957/58), 57 (1-point margin in 1958/59), 62 (1-point margin in 1959/60), 67 (2-point margin in 1960/61), 71 (1-point margin in 1962/63), 77 (2½-point margin in 1963/64), 82 (1-point margin in 1965), 87 (2-point margin in 1966/67).</ref> His results were as follows:<ref name="Bisguier & Soltis 1974, pp. 282-84"/><ref name="Müller 2009, pp. 399-400">], pp. 399–400.</ref><ref>], pp. 51, 57, 62, 67, 71, 76, 82, 87.</ref>
	:{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"		{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
	|-		|-
	!U.S. Champ.		!US Champ.
	!Score		!Score
	!Place		!Place
	!Margin		!Margin of victory
	!Percentage		!Percentage
	!Age		!Age
	|-		|-
	| 1957–1958 || 10½/13 (+8−0=5)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 85.</ref> || First || 1 point || 81% || 14		| 1957/58 || 10½/13 (+8−0=5)<ref>], p. 85.</ref> || First || 1 point || 81% || 14
	|-		|-
	| 1958–1959 || 8½/11 (+6−0=5)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 104.</ref> || First || 1 point || 77% || 15		| 1958/59 || 8½/11 (+6−0=5)<ref>], p. 104.</ref> || First || 1 point || 77% || 15
	|-		|-
	| 1959–1960 || 9/11 (+7−0=4)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 148.</ref> || First || 1 point || 82% || 16		| 1959/60 || 9/11 (+7−0=4)<ref>], p. 148.</ref> || First || 1 point || 82% || 16
	|-		|-
	| 1960–1961 || 9/11 (+7−0=4)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 181.</ref> || First || 2 points || 82% || 17		| 1960/61 || 9/11 (+7−0=4)<ref>], p. 181.</ref> || First || 2 points || 82% || 17
	|-		|-
	| 1962–1963 || 8/11 (+6−1=4)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 231.</ref> || First || 1 point || 73% || 19		| 1962/63 || 8/11 (+6−1=4)<ref>], p. 231.</ref> || First || 1 point || 73% || 19
	|-		|-
	| 1963–1964 || 11/11 (+11−0=0)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 243.</ref> || First || 2½ points || 100% || 20		| 1963/64 || 11/11 (+11−0=0)<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 243">], p. 243.</ref> || First || 3½ points || 100% || 20
	|-		|-
	| 1965<ref>Müller 2009, p. 262.</ref>|| 8½/11 (+8−2=1)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 263.</ref> || First || 1 point || 77% || 22		| 1965<ref>], p. 262.</ref>|| 8½/11 (+8−2=1)<ref>], p. 263.</ref> || First || 1 point || 77% || 22
	|-		|-
	| 1966–1967 || 9½/11 (+8−0=3)<ref>Müller 2009, p. 285.</ref> || First || 2 points || 86% || 23		| 1966/67 || 9½/11 (+8−0=3)<ref>], p. 285.</ref> || First || 2 points || 86% || 23
	|}		|}
	Fischer missed the 1961–62 Championship (he was preparing for the upcoming Interzonal), and there was no 1964–65 event.<ref>Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 283.</ref> His total score was 74/90 (61 wins, 26 draws, 3 losses), with the only losses being to ] in the 1962–63 event, and in consecutive rounds to Samuel Reshevsky, and Robert Byrne in the 1965–66 championship.<ref>Mednis 1997, pp. x–xi, 179–83, 202–11.</ref> For his career, he achieved 82.2 percent in the U.S. Championship.		Fischer missed the 1961/62 Championship (he was preparing for the 1962 Interzonal), and there was no 1964/65 event.<ref>], p. 283.</ref> In his eight US Chess Championships, Fischer lost only three games; to ] in the 1962/63 event, and in consecutive rounds to Samuel Reshevsky, and Robert Byrne in the 1965 championship, culminating in a total score of 74/90 (61 wins, 26 draws, 3 losses).<ref>], pp. x–xi, 179–83, 202–11.</ref>
	==Olympiads==		==Olympiads==
	] in Leipzig]]		] in Leipzig, ]]]
	Fischer refused to play in the ] when his demand was turned down that he, as the reigning U.S. Champion, play ] ahead of Samuel Reshevsky.<ref>Larry Evans in Müller 2009, p. 7.</ref> According to some sources, Fischer, then 15, was unable to arrange leave from attending high school in order to play in Munich.<ref>''The Games of Robert J. Fischer'', Batsford, 1973, section on chess Olympiads by ]</ref> Yet, he represented the United States on top board with great distinction at four ]:		Fischer refused to play in the ] when his demand to play {{chessgloss|first board}} ahead of Samuel Reshevsky was rejected.<ref>Larry Evans, in ], p. 7.</ref> Some sources claim that 15-year-old Fischer was unable to arrange leave from attending high school.<ref>{{cite book|editor1=Robert G. Wade|editor2=Kevin J. O'Connell|name-list-style=amp|title=The Games of Robert J. Fischer|publisher=Batsford|date=1972|chapter=Olympiads|author-link=Robert Wade (chess player)|author=Robert Wade|isbn=978-0-713-40370-1}}</ref> Fischer later represented the United States on first board at four Men's Chess ], winning two individual Silver and one individual Bronze medals:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/players/p9dxbr3n.html |title=Fischer, Robert James, Men's Chess Olympiads |work=Olimpbase |date=2015 |access-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923120725/http://www.olimpbase.org/players/p9dxbr3n.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
	:{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"		{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
	|-		|-
	!Olympiad		!Olympiad
	!Individual result		!Individual result
			!Percentage
	!U.S. team result
			!US team result
			!Percentage<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/teams/usa_tea.html |title=United States (USA) Men's Chess Olympiads |work=Olimpbase |date=2015 |access-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-date=June 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608162338/http://www.olimpbase.org/teams/usa_tea.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
	|-		|-
	|] || 13/18 (Bronze) || Silver		|] || 13/18<ref>], p. 485.</ref> (Bronze) || 72.2% || Silver || 72.5%
	|-		|-
	|] || 11/17 (Eighth) || Fourth		|] || 11/17<ref>], p. 251.</ref> (Eighth) || 64.7% || Fourth || 68.1%
	|-		|-
	|] || 15/17 (Silver) || Silver		|] || 15/17<ref>], p. 326.</ref> (Silver) || 88.2% || Silver ||68.4%
	|-		|-
	|] || 10/13 (Silver) || Fourth		|] || 10/13<ref name="Di Felice 2013c, p. 366">], p. 366.</ref> (Silver) || 76.9% || Fourth || 67.8%
	|}		|}
	Fischer's overall total was +40−7=18, for 49/65 or 75.4%.<ref>Kažić 1974, pp. 75, 81, 94, 108.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/players/q8aycaol.html|title=Fischer, Robert James|date=2003–2008|publisher=Wojciech Bartelski & Co}}</ref> In 1966, he narrowly missed the individual gold medal, scoring 88.23% to World Champion ]'s 88.46%. Fischer played four more games than Petrosian, faced stiffer opposition, and would have won the gold if he had accepted ]'s draw offer in the penultimate round rather than declining it and suffering his only loss.<ref>Müller 2009, pp. 276–77.</ref>		Out of four Men's Chess Olympiads, Fischer scored +40−7=18, for 49/65: 75.4%.<ref>], pp. 75, 81, 94, 108.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/players/q8aycaol.html |title=Fischer, Robert James |work=Olimpbase |date=August 2003 |access-date=February 17, 2014 |archive-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923085622/http://www.olimpbase.org/players/q8aycaol.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1966, Fischer narrowly missed the individual gold medal, scoring 88.23% to World Champion Tigran Petrosian's 88.46%. He played four games more than Petrosian, faced stiffer opposition,<ref>], pp. 276–77.</ref> and would have won the gold if he had accepted ]'s draw offer, rather than declining it and suffering his only loss.<ref>], p. 120. "Later Gheorghiu stated that when he offered Fischer the draw, he was convinced he actually had a won game but that he wanted Fischer to be awarded the gold medal. It was obvious that Fischer was trying too hard and had tired and overextended himself. He lost the game decisively. Nevertheless, all of the players and spectators considered Bobby to be the real hero of the most magnificent chess event in history."</ref>
			At the 1962 Varna Olympiad, Fischer predicted that he would defeat Argentinian GM ] in 25 moves. Fischer actually did it in 24, becoming the only player to beat Najdorf in the tournament.<ref>], p. 65.</ref> Najdorf lost the game while employing the very opening variation named after him: the ].<ref>], pp. 224–25.</ref>
	Fischer had planned to play for the U.S. at the ], but backed out when he saw the poor playing conditions.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 286–87.</ref><ref>Kasparov 2004, p. 335. Petrosian later wrote:<blockquote>It was not only Fischer who did not like the conditions. This also applied to me and my colleagues. Imagine a hall, in which three thousand players, trainers and spectators are gathered, a hall without any ventilation and in addition with poor lighting. I have never complained about my eyesight, but I only needed once or twice in a game to think intensively over a move, and my eyes began to hurt.</blockquote> ''Id.''</ref>
			Fischer had planned to play for the US at the ], but backed out when he saw the poor playing conditions.<ref>], pp. 286–87.</ref> Both former world champion Tigran Petrosian and Belgian-American International Master ], the leader of the American team that year, felt that Fischer was justified in not participating in the Olympiad.<ref>], p. 335. {{"'}}It is important to draw a distinction between the myth of the 'extravagant, capricious, uncontrollable' Fischer and those actions that he undertook quite consciously. Many of his demands in Lugano were absolutely justified. 'It was not only Fischer who did not like the conditions,' writes Petrosian. 'This also applied to me and my colleagues. Imagine a hall, in which three thousand players, trainers and spectators are gathered, a hall without any ventilation and in addition with poor lighting. I have never complained about my eyesight, but I only needed once or twice in a game to think intensively over a move, and my eyes began to hurt.{{'"}}</ref> According to Lombardy, Fischer's non-participation was due to Reshevsky's refusal to yield first board.<ref>], p. 184. "Fischer was clearly the best and highest rated U.S. player and also the U.S. Champion. But in consideration of his lifelong prestige, Reshevsky would not yield first board."</ref>
	In the 1962 Varna Olympiad, on the eve of the match between the U.S. and Argentine teams, Fischer boasted to his teammates that he would finish his game in 25 moves. His opponent the next day, ], opened with the ], and resigned on move 24.
			In 1974, Fischer was willing to play the ] in Nice, France, but FIDE rejected his demand to play in a separate room with only Fischer, his opponent, and spectators.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1974/1974in.html|title=OlimpBase :: 21st Chess Olympiad, Nice 1974, information|website=Olimpbase.org|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203075629/http://www.olimpbase.org/1974/1974in.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
	==Grandmaster, candidate, author==
	Fischer's victory in the U.S. Championship sent his rating up to 2626, landing him second (in the United States) only to Reshevsky (2713),<ref>''Chess Life'', March 5, 1958. Quoted in Müller 2009, p. 92.</ref> and qualified him to participate in the 1958 ] ], the next step toward challenging the World Champion.<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 19"/>
			==1960–61==
	Bobby had wanted to go to Moscow for a long time, and, at his pleading, Regina Fischer requested he be invited. "In 1957, Regina wrote directly to the Soviet leader, ], requesting an invitation for her son to participate in the World Youth and Student Festival. The reply—affirmative—came too late for him to go."<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 8.</ref>
			In 1960, Fischer tied for first place with Soviet star Boris Spassky at the strong Mar del Plata Tournament in Argentina, winning by a two-point margin, scoring 13½/15 (+13−1=1),<ref>], p. 156.</ref><ref>], p. 183.</ref> ahead of David Bronstein.<ref name=EEp12>], p. 12.</ref> Fischer lost only to Spassky; this was the start of their lifelong friendship and rivalry.<ref>], p. 121. "They became friends instantly and have remained so until this day."</ref>
	Regina did not have the money to pay the air fare to send Bobby to Europe to play, but the following year, Fischer was invited onto the game show '']'', where, thanks to Regina's efforts, the producers of the show arranged two round-trip tickets to Russia.<ref>Brady 2011, pp. 89–90.</ref>
			Fischer experienced a rare failure in his competitive career<ref name="Donner 2006, p. 228">], p. 228.</ref> at the Buenos Aires Tournament (1960), finishing with 8½/19 (+3−5=11), far behind winners ] and Samuel Reshevsky with 13/19.<ref>], p. 189.</ref> According to Larry Evans, Fischer's first sexual experience was with a girl to whom Evans introduced him during the tournament.<ref>], p. 422 (interview with Evans).</ref><ref>], p. 228. "One of his rivals in that tournament was American GM Larry Evans, and the story goes that he found a ] lady prepared for a small sum to surround Fischer with her charms. This approach proved successful for Evans, as Fischer finished thirteenth in the tournament{{nbsp}}…"</ref> Pal Benko said that Fischer did horribly in the tournament "because he got caught up in women and sex. Afterwards, Fischer said he'd never mix women and chess together, and kept the promise."<ref>], pp. 426–27 (interview with Benko).</ref> Fischer concluded 1960 by winning a small tournament in ] with 4½/5,<ref>], pp. 196–97.</ref> and defeating ] in an exhibition game in West Berlin.<ref>], p. 198.</ref>
	Once in Russia, Fischer was invited by the Soviet Union to come to Moscow. "The Soviet Union had agreed to invite Bobby to Moscow, and generously pay all expenses for him and his sister..."<ref>Marshall Chess Foundation Archive, Letter from Regina Fischer to Bobby Fischer, c. June 1958. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 93.</ref> International Master Lev Abramov served as Fischer and Joan's guide to Moscow.<ref>Brady 2011, p. 91.</ref> Upon arrival, Fischer immediately demanded that he be taken to the Moscow Central Chess Club.<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 92">Brady 2011, p. 92.</ref>
			In 1961, Fischer started a 16-game match with Reshevsky, split between New York and Los Angeles.<ref>], p. 135. "The officers of the American Chess Foundation maintained that Reshevsky was the better player, and they arranged to have him prove it."</ref> Reshevsky, 32 years Fischer's senior, was considered the favorite since he had far more match experience and had never lost a set match. After 11 games and a tie score (two wins apiece with seven draws), the match ended prematurely due to a scheduling dispute between Fischer and match organizer and sponsor ]. Fischer forfeited 2 games, and even though the score was now 7½ to 5½, with 8½ required to win, Reshevsky was declared the winner, by default, and received the winner's share of the prize fund.<ref>], pp. 42–46.</ref>
	Upon arriving, Fischer played speed chess with "two young Soviet masters": ] and ].<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 9.</ref> Fischer won every game.<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 92"/> "Back in 1958, in the Central Chess Club, ] saw a tall, angular 15-year-old youth, who in blitz games, crushed almost everyone who crossed his path... Alatortsev was no exception, losing all three games... On arriving home, Vladimir said in admiration to his wife: 'This is the future world champion!{{'"}}<ref>Linder V.I. & Linder I.M. 1994. Quoted in Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 120–121.</ref>
			Fischer was second in a super-class field, behind only former world champion Tal, at Bled, 1961.<ref>], p. 17.</ref> Yet, Fischer defeated Tal head-to-head for the first time in their individual game, scored 3½/4 against the Soviet contingent, and finished as the only unbeaten player, with 13½/19 (+8−0=11).<ref>], p. 68.</ref><ref>], p. 199.</ref>
	Fischer demanded that he play against then reigning World Champion ]. When he was told that this was not possible, Fischer asked to play Keres. "Finally, Tigran Petrosian was, on a semi-official basis, summoned to the club..." where he played speed games with Fischer, winning the majority.<ref>Golombek, ''Golombek's Encyclopedia'', pp. 236–237. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 93.</ref> "When Bobby discovered that he wasn't going to play any formal games...&nbsp;he went into a not-so-silent rage."<ref>Brady 2011, p. 94.</ref> Fischer said he was fed up "with these Russian pigs",<ref>Johnson 2007, p. 128. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 94.</ref> which angered the Soviets who saw Fischer as their honored guest. It was then that the Yugoslavian chess officials phoned Regina and offered to take in Fischer and his sister as early guests to the Interzonal Tournament. The officials arranged for training matches for Fischer. Fischer left Moscow, touched down in Yugoslavia, and played two short training matches against masters ] and ].<ref>Brady 2011, pp. 94–96.</ref> Fischer drew both games against Janošević, and then defeated Matulović in ] by 2½–1½.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, pp. 163–64.</ref>
			==1962: success, setback, accusations of Soviet collusion==
	The top six finishers in the Interzonal would qualify for the ].<ref>Brady 1973, p. 25.</ref> Most observers doubted that a 15-year-old with no international experience could finish among the six qualifiers at the Interzonal, but Fischer told journalist Miro Radoicic, "I can draw with the grandmasters, and there are half-a-dozen ]s in the tournament I reckon to beat."<ref>], "From Portorož to Petrosian", in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 332.</ref> Despite some bumps in the road, and a problematic start, Fischer succeeded in his plan: after a strong finish, he ended up with 12/20 (+6−2=12) to tie for 5th–6th.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972. pp. 332–34, 347.</ref> The Soviet grandmaster ] observed, "In the struggle at the board this youth, almost still a child, showed himself to be a full-fledged fighter, demonstrating amazing composure, precise calculation and devilish resourcefulness."<ref>Kasparov 2004, pp. 225–26.</ref> ] said of Fischer: "We had breakfast, lunch and dinner. And like that for a whole month...&nbsp;It was interesting for me to observe Fischer, but for a long time I couldn't understand why this 15-year-old boy played chess so well."<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 20-21.</ref>
			Fischer won the 1962 ] Interzonal by a 2½-point margin,<ref>], p. 223.</ref> going undefeated, with 17½/22 (+13−0=9).<ref>], p. 75.</ref><ref>], p. 369.</ref> He was the first non-Soviet player to win an Interzonal since FIDE instituted the tournament in 1948.<ref>], p. 51.</ref> Russian GM ] said of Fischer:<ref>], p. 81.</ref>
	Fischer became the youngest person ever to qualify for the Candidates. He also became the youngest grandmaster in history at 15 years and 6 months. This record stood until 1991 when it was broken by ].<ref>Forbes 1992, p. 171.</ref> "By then everyone knew we had a genius on our hands."<ref>Interview with Allen Kaufman in the television documentary "Anything to Win: The Mad Genius of Bobby Fischer". April 9, 2006.</ref>
			{{blockquote|I have discussed Fischer's play with Max Euwe and Gideon Stahlberg. All of us, experienced 'tournament old-timers', were surprised by Fischer's endgame expertise. When a young player is good at attacking or at combinations, this is understandable, but a faultless endgame technique at the age of 19 is something rare. I can recall only one other player who at that age was equally skillful at endgames – ].}}
	Before the Candidates' tournament, Fischer competed in the 1958–59 U.S. Championship (winning with 8½/11)<ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 301.</ref> and then in international tournaments at ], ], and Zürich. He played unevenly in the two South American tournaments. At the strong Mar del Plata event, he finished tied for third with ], half a point behind tournament winners ] and ]; this confirmed his status as a grandmaster.<ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 340.</ref> At Santiago, he tied for 4th–6th places, behind Ivkov, Pachman, and ].<ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 356.</ref>
			Fischer's victory made him a favorite for the ] in ].<ref>], pp. 53–54.</ref><ref name=lbobt>{{cite news |author=Leonard Barden |url=https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,2243089,00.html |title=Obituary, Bobby Fischer |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 28, 2014 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728153215/https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,2243089,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Yet, despite his result in the Interzonal, Fischer only finished fourth out of eight with 14/27 (+8−7=12),<ref>], p. 82.</ref> far behind Tigran Petrosian (17½/27), ], and ] (both 17/27).<ref>], pp. 188–89.</ref> Tal fell very ill during the tournament, and had to withdraw before completion. Fischer, a friend of Tal's, was the only contestant who visited him in the hospital.<ref name=BSp155>], p. 155.</ref>
	Fischer did better at the very strong Zürich International Tournament, finishing a point behind future World Champion ] and half a point behind ].<ref>Brady 1973, p. 28.</ref><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, pp. 165, 171, 176.</ref><ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 27.</ref> Tal recalled an encounter typical of Fischer's uncompromising style: "In his game with the oldest competitor, the Hungarian grandmaster ], Fischer had no advantage, but, not wishing to let his opponent go in peace, played on to the 103rd move. The game was adjourned three times and the contestants used up two score sheets, but even when there were only the kings left on the board, Fischer made two more moves! Draw! Stunned by such a fanatical onslaught, Barcza could barely get up from his chair, but Bobby nonchalantly suggested: 'Let's have a look at the game from the beginning...' Barcza then began pleading: 'Look, I have a wife and children. Who's going to support them in the event of my untimely death!{{'"}}<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 29–30.</ref>
			===Accuses Soviets of collusion===
	Although Fischer had ended his formal education at age 16, he subsequently taught himself several foreign languages, to gain access to foreign chess periodicals.<ref>''The Chess Games of Robert J. Fischer'', edited by Robert G. Wade and Kevin J. O'Connell, London, Batsford 1973; special article by ], entitled ''From the Opposite Side of the Board''</ref> According to Latvian chess master ], even he and Tal could not match the commitment that Fischer had made to chess. Recalling a conversation from the tournament: {{"'}}Tell me, Bobby,' Tal continued, 'what do you think of the playing style of ]?' 'She's too cautious. But you have another girl, Dmitrieva. Her games do appeal to me!' Here we were left literally open-mouthed in astonishment. Misha and I have looked at thousands of games, but it never even occurred to us to study the games of our women players. How could we find the time for this?! Yet Bobby, it turns out, had found the time!"<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 41.</ref>
			{{see also|World Chess Championship 1963}}
			Following his failure in the 1962 Candidates,{{efn|1=According to Lombardy, Fischer's lack of a sole second proved a main reason for his failure.<ref>], p. 122. "As a second, Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier had to divide his talents between Bobby and Pal Benko… Bobby was hopping mad over the miserable arrangement made by the American Chess Foundation, which was responsible for the funding for the American participants at Curaçao."</ref>}} Fischer asserted in a '']'' article,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Bobby Fischer|date=August 20, 1962|magazine=]|title=The Russians Have Fixed World Chess|volume=17|number=8|pages=18–19, 64–65|url=https://www.si.com/vault/issue/42447/25|access-date=January 14, 2020}}</ref> that three of the five Soviet players (Tigran Petrosian, Paul Keres, and Efim Geller) had a prearranged agreement to quickly draw their games against each other in order to conserve their energy for playing against Fischer. It is generally thought that this accusation is correct.<ref>], pp. 29–30, 37, 40, 83.</ref><ref name="His Own Success 2008">{{cite news|title=Victim of His Own Success: The Tragedy of Bobby Fischer|work=]|date=January 22, 2008|page=D8}}</ref> Fischer stated that he would never again participate in a Candidates' tournament, since the format, combined with the alleged ], made it impossible for a non-Soviet player to win. Following Fischer's article, ], in late 1962, voted to implement a radical reform of the playoff system, replacing the Candidates' tournament with a format of one-on-one knockout matches—the format that Fischer would dominate in 1971.<ref name="His Own Success 2008"/><ref name="Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 331">], pp. 331–46.</ref>
			Fischer defeated ] in a summer 1962 exhibition game in ] for Danish TV. Later that year, Fischer beat ] in a team match against Poland in Warsaw.<ref>], pp. 207–08.</ref>
	Until late 1959, Fischer "had dressed atrociously for a champion, appearing at the most august and distinguished national and international events in sweaters and corduroys".<ref>Brady 1965, p. 34.</ref> A director of the ] had once banned Fischer for not being "properly accoutered", forcing Denker to intercede to get him reinstated.<ref>Denker & Parr, pp. 103–04 .</ref> Now, encouraged by ] to dress more smartly, Fischer "began buying suits from all over the world, hand-tailored and made to order".<ref>Brady 1965, p. 35.</ref><ref>"At 16 he was able to earn his living from chess, and soon began to dress well, with suits tailored in London and New York." Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 136.</ref> He boasted to journalist ] in 1961 that he had 17 suits, all hand-tailored, and that his shirts and shoes were also handmade.<ref>Ginzburg 1962, pp. 53–54.</ref>
			In the 1962/63 US Championship, Fischer lost to ] in round one. It was his first loss ever in a US Championship. Bisguier was in excellent form, and Fischer caught up to him only at the end. Tied at 7–3, the two met in the final round. Bisguier stood well in the middlegame, but blundered, handing Fischer his fifth consecutive US championship.<ref name="Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 49"/>
	At the age of 16, Fischer finished a creditable equal fifth out of eight, the top non-Soviet player, at the Candidates Tournament held in ]/]/], Yugoslavia in 1959.<ref>Di Felice 2010, p. 310.</ref> He scored 12½/28 but was outclassed by tournament winner Tal, who won all four of their individual games.<ref>Wade & 'Connell 1972, p. 356.</ref>
			==Semi-retirement in the mid-1960s==
	Fischer published his first book of collected games at age 16, in 1959, entitled ''Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess'', and published by Simon & Schuster.
			Influenced by ill will over the aborted 1961 match against Reshevsky, Fischer declined an invitation to play in the 1963 ] tournament in Los Angeles, which had a world-class field.<ref name="Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 49">Arthur Bisguier, in ], p. 49.</ref> He instead played in the Western Open in ], which he won with 7½/8.<ref>], p. 237. "At the time he was also writing for ''Chess Life'', a column called "Fischer Talks Chess," and he made some very favorable comments about the overall quality of the opposition he faced as well as the organization of the tournaments."</ref><ref>], pp. 49, 149–51.</ref> In August–September 1963, Fischer won the New York State Championship at ], with 7/7, his first perfect score,<ref>], pp. 49, 152–53.</ref> ahead of Arthur Bisguier and ].<ref>], p. 70.</ref>
			In the 1963/64 US Championship, Fischer achieved his second perfect score, this time against the top-ranked chess players in the country.<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 243"/><ref name="Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 49"/> This result brought Fischer heightened fame, including a profile in ] magazine.<ref name="Levy 1975, p. 91">{{cite book
	==1960–61==
			|author=David Levy|author-link=David Levy (chess player)
	In 1960, Fischer tied for first place with the young Soviet star Boris Spassky at the strong ] in Argentina, with the two well ahead of the rest of the field, scoring 13½/15.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 183.</ref> Fischer lost only to Spassky, and this was the start of their relationship, which began on a friendly basis and stayed that way, in spite of Fischer's troubles against him ].<ref>Bronstein wrote of their first meeting at Mar del Plata, "They became friends instantly and have remained so until this day." Bronstein & Fürstenberg 2009, p. 149.</ref>
			|title=How Fischer Plays Chess
			|year=1975|page=91
			|publisher=R.H.M. Press
			|isbn=978-0-89058-011-0
			}}</ref> '']'' diagrammed each of the 11 games in its article, "The Amazing Victory Streak of Bobby Fischer".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/01/13/608156/the-amazing-victory-streak-of-bobby-fischer |title=The Amazing Victory Streak of Bobby Fischer |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=January 13, 1964 |access-date=May 12, 2007 |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313034001/http://www.si.com/vault/1964/01/13/608156/the-amazing-victory-streak-of-bobby-fischer |url-status=live }}</ref> Such extensive chess coverage was groundbreaking for the top American sports magazine. His 11–0 win in the 1963/64 Championship is the only perfect score in the history of the tournament,<ref>Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & Connell 1973, pp. 49–50.</ref> and one of about ten ] in high-level chess tournaments ever.<ref name="Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 81">], p. 81.</ref><ref name=s2002>{{cite book
			|author=Andy Soltis|author-link=Andrew Soltis
			|title=Chess Lists
			|year=2002|pages=81–83
			|edition=2nd
			|publisher=McFarland and Company
			|isbn=978-0-7864-1296-9
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Anne Sunnucks|author-link=Anne Sunnucks
			|year=1976 |orig-year=1970
			|title=The Encyclopaedia of Chess
			|edition=2nd|page=76
			|publisher=St. Martin's Press
			|isbn=978-0-7091-4697-1
			}}</ref> ] and ] called it "the most remarkable achievement of this kind".<ref name="Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 81"/> Fischer recalls:<ref>], p. 305.</ref> "Motivated by my lopsided result (11–0!), Dr. Kmoch congratulated Evans (the runner up) on 'winning' the tournament… and then he congratulated me on 'winning the exhibition'."
			Fischer's 21-move victory against ] won the brilliancy prize for the tournament. Byrne wrote: {{blockquote|The culminating combination is of such depth that, even at the very moment at which I resigned, both grandmasters who were commenting on the play for the spectators in a separate room believed I had a won game!<ref>Quoted in ], p. 74.</ref>}}
	Fischer struggled in the later Buenos Aires tournament, finishing with 8½/19 (won by ] and Samuel Reshevsky on 13/19).<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 189.</ref> This was the only real failure of Fischer's competitive career.<ref name="Donner2006p.228">Donner 2006, p. 228.</ref> According to Larry Evans, Fischer's first sexual experience was with a girl to whom Evans introduced him during the tournament.<ref>Benko & Silman 2003, p. 422 (interview with Evans).</ref><ref>Donner writes of Fischer's performance at Buenos Aires 1960, "One of his rivals in that tournament was American grandmaster Larry Evans, and the story goes that he found a ] lady prepared for a small sum to surround Fischer with her charms. This approach proved successful for Evans, as Fischer finished thirteenth in the tournament—the only real debacle he ever suffered." Donner 2006, p. 228.</ref> ] says that Fischer did horribly in the tournament "because he got caught up in women and sex. Afterwards, Fischer said he'd never mix women and chess together, and kept the promise."<ref>Benko & Silman, pp. 426–27 (interview with Benko).</ref> Fischer concluded 1960 by winning a small tournament in ] with 4½/5,<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, pp. 196–197.</ref> and defeating ] in an exhibition game in West Berlin.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 198.</ref>
			International Master ] recalled his last round encounter with the undefeated Fischer:<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 248">], p. 248.</ref>
	In 1961, Fischer started a 16-game match with Reshevsky, split between New York and Los Angeles. Despite Fischer's meteoric rise, the veteran Reshevsky, 32 years Fischer's senior, was considered the favorite, since he had far more match experience and had never lost a set match.<ref>Brady 1973, p. 42.</ref> After 11 games and a tie score (two wins apiece with seven draws), the match ended prematurely due to a scheduling dispute between Fischer and match organizer and sponsor ].<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 43–46.</ref> Reshevsky was declared the winner of the match, and received the winner's share of the prize fund.<ref>Brady 1973, p. 46.</ref>
			{{blockquote|Going into the final game I certainly did not expect to upset Fischer. I hardly knew the opening but played simply, and he went along with the scenario, opting for a N-v-B endgame with a minimal edge. In the corridor, Evans said to me, "Good. Show him we're not all children."}}
	Fischer was second behind former World Champion Tal at ] 1961,<ref>Di Felice 2013a, p. 17.</ref> which had a super-class field. He defeated Tal head-to-head for the first time, scored 3½/4 against the Soviet contingent, and finished as the only unbeaten player, with 13½/19.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 199.</ref>
			At adjournment, Saidy saw a way to force a draw, yet he had already "sealed a different, wrong move", and lost.<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 248"/> "Chess publications around the world wrote of the unparalleled achievement. Only Bent Larsen, always a Fischer detractor, was unimpressed: 'Fischer was playing against children.{{'"}}<ref>''Chess Life'', August 1964, p. 202. Quoted in ], p. 155.</ref>
	==1962: success, setback, accusations of collusion==
	In the next World Championship cycle, Fischer won the 1962 ] ] by 2½ points,<ref>Di Felice 2013a, p. 223.</ref> scoring an undefeated 17½/22.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 369.</ref> He was the first non-Soviet player to win an Interzonal since FIDE instituted the tournament in 1948.<ref>Brady 1973, p. 51.</ref> Russian grandmaster ] said of his play:<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 81.</ref><blockquote>I have discussed Fischer's play with Max Euwe and Gideon Stahlberg. All of us, experienced 'tournament old-timers', were surprised by Fischer's endgame expertise. When a young player is good at attacking or at combinations, this is understandable, but a faultless endgame technique at the age of 19 is something rare. I can recall only one other player who at that age was equally skillful at endgames — Vasily Smyslov.</blockquote>
			Fischer, eligible as US Champion, decided against his participation in the 1964 Amsterdam Interzonal, taking himself out of the ],<ref>], pp. 80–81.</ref> even after FIDE changed the format of the eight-player Candidates Tournament from a ] to a series of ] matches, which eliminated the possibility of collusion.<ref name="Levy 1975, p. 91"/> Instead, Fischer embarked on a tour of the United States and Canada from February through May, playing a ], and giving a lecture in each of more than 40 cities.<ref name=don>{{cite book
	Fischer's decisive Interzonal victory made him one of the favorites for the ] in ], which began soon afterwards.<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 53–54.</ref><ref>. ], '']'', January 19, 2008.</ref> He finished fourth out of eight with 14/27, the best result by a non-Soviet player, but well behind Tigran Petrosian (17½/27), ], and ] (both 17/27).<ref>Kažić 1974, pp. 188–89.</ref> Tal fell very ill during the tournament, and had to withdraw before completion. Fischer, a friend of Tal, was the only contestant who visited him in the hospital.<ref>Benko & Silman, p. 155.</ref>
			|author=John Donaldson
			|title=A Legend on the Road: Bobby Fischer's 1964 Simul Tour
			|year=2005|pages=7, 11
			|publisher=International Chess Enterprises
			|isbn=978-1-888690-25-5
			}}</ref> He had a 94% winning percentage over more than 2,000 games.<ref name=don/> Fischer declined an invitation to play for the US in the ] in ].<ref>], p. 285.</ref>
			==Successful return==
	===Accuses Soviets of collusion===
			]
	{{see also|World Chess Championship 1963}}
			Fischer wanted to play in the ] in Havana in August and September 1965.<ref>], pp. 127–28.</ref> Since the ] refused to endorse Fischer's passport as valid for visiting Cuba,<ref name="Wade p. 209">], p. 209.</ref> he proposed, and the tournament officials and players accepted, a unique arrangement: Fischer played his moves from a room at the ], which were then transmitted by ] to Cuba.<ref>], p. 213.</ref><ref>], pp. 86–89.</ref><ref>], pp. 127–31.</ref><ref>], pp. 160, 209.</ref> Luděk Pachman observed that Fischer "was handicapped by the longer playing session resulting from the time wasted in transmitting the moves, and that is one reason why he lost to three of his chief rivals."<ref name="Pachman 1975, p. 215">{{cite book|author= Luděk Pachman
	Following his failure in the 1962 Candidates (at which five of the eight players were from the Soviet Union), Fischer asserted in an August 1962 article in '']'' magazine, entitled ''The Russians Have Fixed World Chess'', that three of the Soviet players (Tigran Petrosian, Paul Keres, and Efim Geller) had a pre-arranged agreement to quickly draw their games against each other in order to save energy and to concentrate on playing against Fischer, and that a fourth, Viktor Korchnoi, had been forced to deliberately lose games to ensure that a Soviet player won the tournament. It is generally thought that the former accusation is correct, but not the latter.<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 29–30, 37, 40, 83.</ref><ref>"Victim of His Own Success: The Tragedy of Bobby Fischer", '']'', January 22, 2008, p. D8.</ref> ], later World Champion, wrote in his 1991 autobiography that Korchnoi had complained in the Soviet Union, shortly after the 1962 Candidates' event, about not being included in the colluding group of Soviets.<ref>''Karpov on Karpov: Memoirs of a Chess World Champion'', by Anatoly Karpov, London, Atheneum 1991</ref> Fischer also stated that he would never again participate in a Candidates' tournament, since the format, combined with the alleged ], made it impossible for a non-Soviet player to win.
			|title=Pachman's Decisive Games
			|year=1975|page=215
			|publisher=Pitman
			|isbn=978-0-273-31812-5
			}}</ref> The tournament was an "ordeal" for Fischer, who had to endure eight-hour and sometimes even twelve-hour playing sessions.<ref>], pp. 88–89.</ref> Despite the handicap, Fischer tied for second through fourth places, with 15/21 (+12−3=6),<ref>], p. 127.</ref> behind former world champion Vasily Smyslov, whom Fischer defeated in their individual game.<ref name="Pachman 1975, p. 215"/> The tournament received extensive media coverage.<ref>], pp. 86–88.</ref><ref name="Wade p. 209"/>
			In December, Fischer won his seventh US Championship (1965), with the score of 8½/11 (+8−2=1),<ref name="Di Felice 2013b, p. 167">], p. 167.</ref> despite losing to Robert Byrne and Reshevsky in the eighth and ninth rounds.<ref>], pp. 92–94.</ref><ref>], pp. 82–86.</ref> Fischer also reconciled with Mrs. Piatigorsky, accepting an invitation to the very strong second ] (1966) tournament in ]. Fischer began disastrously and after eight rounds was tied for last with 3/8. He then staged a strong comeback, scoring 7/8 in the next eight rounds. In the end, World Chess Championship finalist Boris Spassky edged him out by a half point, scoring 11½/18 to Fischer's 11/18 (+7−3=8).<ref>], p. 134.</ref><ref>{{cite book
	Following Fischer's article, ] in late 1962 voted a radical reform of the playoff system, replacing the Candidates' tournament with a format of one-on-one knockout matches; this was the format that Fischer would dominate in 1971.<ref name = "Wade-p331">Wade & O'Connell 1972, pp. 331–46.</ref><ref>"Victim of His Own Success: The Tragedy of Bobby Fischer", ''Wall Street Journal'', January 22, 2008, p.D8</ref>
			|author=Isaac Kashdan|author-link=Isaac Kashdan
			|title=Second Piatigorsky Cup: International Grandmaster Tournament held in Santa Monica, California August 1966
			|year=1977 |orig-year=1968
			|publisher=Dover
			|isbn=978-0-486-23572-1|page=v}}</ref>
			Now aged 23, Fischer would win every match or tournament he completed for the rest of his life.<ref name="Kasparov 2004, p. 322">], p. 322.</ref>
	Fischer defeated ] in a summer 1962 exhibition game in ] for Danish TV. He also defeated ] in a team match against Poland at Warsaw later that year.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, pp. 207–08.</ref>
			Fischer won the US Championship (1966/67) for the eighth and final time, ceding only three draws (+8−0=3).<ref>], pp. 284–85.</ref><ref>], pp. 87–91.</ref> In March–April and August–September, Fischer won strong tournaments at ], with 7/9 (+6−1=2),<ref>], p. 396.</ref> and ], with 13½/17 (+12−2=3).<ref>], pp. 423–24.</ref><ref>], pp. 236–47.</ref> In the Philippines, Fischer played nine exhibition games against master opponents, scoring 8½/9.<ref>], pp. 450–53.</ref>
	In the 1962–63 U.S. Championship, Fischer had a close call. In the first round he lost to ], his first loss ever in a U.S. Championship. Bisguier was in excellent form, and Fischer caught up to him only at the end. Tied at 7–3, the two met in the last round for the championship. Bisguier stood well in the middlegame, but blundered, handing Fischer his fifth consecutive U.S. championship.<ref>Bisguier in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 49.</ref>
			===Withdrawal while leading Interzonal===
	==Religious affiliation==
			Fischer's win in the 1966/67 US Championship qualified him for the next World Championship cycle.<ref name="Di Felice 2013b, p. 167"/>
	In an interview in the January 1962 issue of '']'', Fischer was quoted as saying, "I read a book lately by ] and he says religion is just to dull the senses of the people. I agree."<ref>Ginzburg 1962, p. 54.</ref><ref name="Fischer-Harper">{{cite web|url=http://www.bobby-fischer.net/Bobby_Fischer_Articles4.html|title=Portrait of a Genius As a Young Chess Master|work=Ralph Ginzburg's January 1962 interview, Harper's Magazine |accessdate=January 21, 2008 }}</ref>
			At the 1967 Interzonal, held at ], ], Fischer scored 8½ points in the first 10 games, to lead the field. His observance of the ] ] was honored by the organizers but deprived Fischer of several rest days, which led to a scheduling dispute,<ref>], pp. 256–57. ", Fischer quit at the halfway mark… faced with four games in four consecutive days… for religious reasons, will not play between sundowns on Friday and Saturday. He objected to the consecutive playoffs, claiming that the judges were taking advantage of him, subjecting him to cruel and inhuman punishment. He also pointed out, correctly, that he had entered the tournament with the assurance that such conditions would not prevail. But the judges would not change their ruling{{nbsp}}…"</ref> causing Fischer to forfeit two games in protest and later withdraw, eliminating himself from the ].<ref>], pp. 161–66.</ref> Communications difficulties with the highly inexperienced local organizers were also a significant factor since Fischer knew little French and the organizers had very limited English. No one in Tunisian chess had previous experience running an event of this stature.<ref>] (1973) ''The World Chess Championship: A History''. Macmillan. New York.</ref>
	Fischer's mother was Jewish. Fischer, however, disavowed having Jewish roots and joined the ] in the mid-1960s. This church prescribed ], and forbade work (and competitive chess) on Sabbath. Fischer's religious obligations were respected by chess organizers, concerning scheduling of his games. Fischer contributed significant money over several years to the Worldwide Church of God.
			Since Fischer had completed fewer than half of his scheduled games, all of his results were annulled, meaning players who had played Fischer had those games cancelled, and the scores nullified from the official tournament record.<ref name="Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 331"/>
	In 1972 one journalist stated that "Fischer is almost as serious about religion as he is about chess", and the champion credited his faith with greatly improving his chess.<ref name="darrach19720811">{{cite news | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EVUEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&rview=1&pg=PA40#v=onepage&q&f=true | title=Bobby is Not a Nasty Kid | work=Life | date=1972-08-11 | accessdate=March 25, 2013 | author=Darrach, Brad | pages=40}}</ref> That year was a disastrous one for the Worldwide Church of God, however, as prophecies by ] were unfulfilled, and the church was rocked by revelations of a series of sex scandals involving ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hwarmstrong.com/ar/InBed.html|title=In Bed With Garner Ted|year=1977|publisher=Ambassador Report|accessdate=October 4, 2008}}</ref> Fischer, who felt betrayed and swindled by the Worldwide Church of God, left it and publicly denounced it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hwarmstrong.com/ar/Fischer.html|title=Bobby Fischer Speaks Out!|year=1978|publisher=Ambassador Report|accessdate=October 4, 2008}}</ref>
	==Semi-retirement in the mid-1960s==		===Second semi-retirement===
	Fischer declined an invitation to play in the 1963 ] tournament in Los Angeles, which had a world-class field. His decision was probably influenced by ill will over the aborted 1961 match against Reshevsky, which had been arranged by the same organizer.<ref name="WO'CBisguierp.49">Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 49.</ref> Instead, he played in the Western Open in ], which he won with 7½/8.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 49, 149–51.</ref> In August–September 1963, he won another minor event, the New York State Championship at ], with 7/7, his first perfect score.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 49, 152–53.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, p. 70.</ref>
			In 1968, Fischer won tournaments at ], with 11½/13 (+10−0=3),<ref>], pp. 56–57.</ref> and ], with 11/13 (+9−0=4),<ref>], p. 91.</ref> by large margins.<ref>], pp. 248–59.</ref> Fischer then stopped playing for the next 18 months, except for a win against Anthony Saidy in a 1969 New York Metropolitan League team match.<ref>], pp. 320–21.</ref><ref>], pp. 154–55.</ref> That year, Fischer (assisted by GM Larry Evans) released his second book of collected games: '']'', published by Simon & Schuster.<ref>], p. 170.</ref> The book "was an immediate success".<ref>], pp. 162–63. "In this new book, his first—and, ultimately, only—serious work as an adult, Fischer was anything but sparse… what he produced was one of the most painstakingly precise and delightful chess books ever written, rivaling the works of Tarrasch, Alekhine, and Reti… If Fischer had never played another game of chess, his reputation, certainly as an analyst, would have been preserved through its publication."</ref>
	In the 1963–64 U.S. Championship, "One by one Fischer mowed down the opposition as he cut an 11–0 swathe through the field, to demonstrate convincingly to the opposition that he was now in a class by himself."<ref name="WO'CBisguierp.49"/> This result brought Fischer heightened fame, including a profile in ] magazine.<ref name="Levy1975p.91">Levy 1975, p. 91.</ref> '']'' diagrammed each of the 11 games in its article, "The Amazing Victory Streak of Bobby Fischer".<ref>Brady 1973, p. 75.</ref> Such extensive chess coverage was groundbreaking for the top American sports magazine.
			==1969–1972: Road to World Champion==
	His 11–0 win in the 1963–64 Championship is the only perfect score in the history of the tournament,<ref>{{cite news|title=Body of chess legend Bobby Fischer to be exhumed as his former lovers battle over £1.3m estate|publisher=Daily Mail|date=June 18, 2010|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1287387/Bobby-Fischers-body-exhumed-lovers-battle-1-3m-estate.html|accessdate=July 5, 2010|location=London}}</ref><ref>Bisguier in Wade & Connell 1973, pp. 49–50.</ref> and one of about ten ] in high-level chess tournaments ever.<ref name="Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 81">Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 81.</ref><ref>Soltis 2002, pp. 81–83.</ref><ref>Sunnucks 1970, p. 76.</ref> ] and ] called it "the most remarkable achievement of this kind".<ref name="Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 81"/> Fischer recalls of the event:<ref>Fischer 1969, 2008, p. 305.</ref><blockquote>Motivated by my lopsided result (11–0!), Dr. Kmoch congratulated Evans (the runner up) on "winning" the tournament...&nbsp;and then he congratulated me on "winning the exhibition."</blockquote>
			In 1970, Fischer began a new effort to become World Champion. His dramatic march toward the title made him a household name and made chess front-page news for a time. He won the title in 1972, but forfeited it three years later.
			===Road to the World Championship===
	Future International Master ] recalls his last round encounter with the undefeated (10–0 at that point) Fischer:<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 248">Müller 2009, p. 248.</ref><blockquote>Going into the final game I certainly did not expect to upset Fischer. I hardly knew the opening but played simply, and he went along with the scenario, opting for a N-v-B endgame with a minimal edge. In the corridor, Evans said to me, 'Good. Show him we're not all children.'</blockquote>
			] from his round 3 game against ] in the 1970 ] in ], Germany]]
			The 1969 US Championship was also a zonal qualifier, with the top three finishers advancing to the Interzonal. Fischer, however, had sat out the US Championship because of disagreements about the tournament's format and prize fund. Benko, one of the three qualifiers, agreed to give up his spot in the Interzonal to give Fischer another shot at the World Championship; Lombardy, who would have been "next in line" after Benko, did the same.<ref>], p. 426.</ref><ref>], pp. 84–86.</ref><ref>], p. 343.</ref><ref>], in ], p.&nbsp;342.</ref><ref name="Brady 1973, p. 174">], p. 174.</ref><ref>''Chess Life & Review'', July 1975, Vol. XXX, No. 7. "The only condition I asked for stepping down was for Fischer to agree not to withdraw from the Interzonal or the ensuing matches should he qualify for them – and he fulfilled this condition."</ref>
	At adjournment, Saidy saw a way to force a draw, yet "sealed a different, wrong move", and lost. "The rest is history."<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 248"/>
			In 1970 and 1971, Fischer "dominated his contemporaries to an extent never seen before or since".<ref>{{cite web |author=Jeff Sonas |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/the-greatest-che-player-of-all-time-part-iv |title=The Greatest Chess Player of All Time – Part IV |publisher=chessbase.com |date=May 25, 2005 |access-date=February 23, 2014 |archive-date=November 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124060300/http://en.chessbase.com/post/the-greatest-che-player-of-all-time-part-iv |url-status=live }}</ref>
	"Chess publications around the world wrote of the unparalleled achievement. Only Bent Larsen, always a Fischer detractor, was unimpressed: 'Fischer was playing against children,'<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Chess Life|month=August|year=1964|page=202}}</ref> he said. Reshevsky a child? Robert Byrne? Larry Evans? Pal Benko?"<ref>Brady 2011, p. 155.</ref>
			Before the Interzonal, in March and April 1970, the world's best players competed in the ] match in ], Yugoslavia, often referred to as "the Match of the Century". There was much surprise when Fischer decided to participate.<ref>], p. 82.</ref>
	Fischer, eligible as U.S. Champion, decided not to participate in the Amsterdam Interzonal in 1964, thus taking himself out of the ].<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 80–81.</ref> He held to this decision even when FIDE changed the format of the eight-player Candidates Tournament from a ] to a series of ] matches, which eliminated the possibility of collusion.<ref name="Levy1975p.91"/> He instead embarked on a tour of the United States and Canada from February through May, playing a ] and giving a lecture in each of more than 40 cities.<ref>Donaldson 2005, pp. 7, 11.</ref> His 94% winning percentage over more than 2,000 games is one of the best ever achieved.<ref>Donaldson 2005, p. 11.</ref> Fischer also declined an invitation to play for the U.S. in the ] in Tel Aviv.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 285.</ref>
			With Evans as his second,<ref>{{cite magazine |quote=I was acting as Fischer's second{{nbsp}}... |author=Larry Melvyn Evans |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=79449 |title=The Rest Of The World Sort Of Strikes Back |magazine=Sports Illustrated |via=chessgames.com |date=April 20, 1970 |access-date=September 19, 2015 |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910224306/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=79449 |url-status=live }}</ref> Fischer flew to Belgrade<ref>], p. 164.</ref> with the intention of playing {{chessgloss|first board}} for the rest of the world.<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 321">], p. 321.</ref> Danish GM Bent Larsen, however, due to his recent tournament victories, demanded to play first board instead of Fischer, even though Fischer had the higher ].<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 321"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/1970g/1970in.html |title=USSR vs Rest of the World: Belgrade 1970 |work=Olimpbase |date=August 2003 |access-date=September 19, 2015 |archive-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929084625/http://www.olimpbase.org/1970g/1970in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To the surprise of everyone, Fischer agreed.<ref>], p. 161.</ref><ref>], pp. 82–83.</ref> Although the USSR team eked out a 20½–19½ victory, "On the top four boards, the Soviets managed to win only one game out of a possible sixteen. Bobby Fischer was the high scorer for his team, with a 3–1 score against Petrosian (two wins and two draws)."<ref>], p. 165.</ref> "Fischer left no doubt in anyone's mind that he had put his temporary break from the tournament circuit to good use. Petrosian was almost unrecognizable in the first two games, and by the time he had collected himself, although pressing his opponent, he could do no more than draw the last two games of the four-game set".<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 321"/>
	==Successful return==
	Fischer wanted to play in the ], Havana in August and September 1965.<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 127-128.</ref> The ], however, refused to endorse Fischer's passport as valid for visiting Cuba.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 209.</ref> Fischer instead proposed, and the tournament officials and players accepted, a unique arrangement: Fischer played his moves from a room at the ], which were then transmitted by ] to Cuba.<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 86–89.</ref><ref>Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 213.</ref><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 160, 209.</ref><ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 127-131.</ref> ] observed that Fischer "was handicapped by the longer playing session resulting from the time wasted in transmitting the moves, and that is one reason why he lost to three of his chief rivals".<ref name="Pachmanp.215">Pachman 1975, p. 215.</ref> The tournament was an "ordeal" for Fischer, who had to endure eight-hour and sometimes even twelve-hour playing sessions.<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 88–89.</ref> Despite this handicap, he tied for second through fourth places, with 15/21, behind former World Champion ], whom he defeated in their individual game.<ref name="Pachmanp.215"/> The tournament received extensive media coverage.<ref>Brady 1973, pp. 86–88.</ref><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 209.</ref>
			After the USSR versus the Rest of the World Match, the unofficial World Championship of Lightning Chess (5-minute games) was held at ]. " figured on teaching Fischer a lesson and on bringing him down a peg or two".<ref name="Schonberg 1973, p. 267">], p. 267.</ref> Petrosian and Tal were considered the favorites,<ref name=CD>{{cite book
	In December, Fischer won his seventh U.S. Championship (1965), with the score of 8½/11.<ref name="Di Felice 2013b, p. 167">Di Felice 2013b, p. 167.</ref>
			|title=Bobby Fischer: His Games and His Openings 1969 through 1971
			|year=1971|pages=83–92
			|publisher=Chess Digest
			}}</ref> but Fischer overwhelmed the super-class field with 19/22 (+17−1=4), far ahead of Tal (14½), Korchnoi (14), Petrosian (13½), and Bronstein (13).<ref name=CD/><ref name="Denker & Parr 1995, p. 105">], p. 105.</ref> Fischer lost only one game (to Korchnoi, who was also the only player to achieve an even score against him in the double ]).<ref name=CD/><ref>], pp. 188–89.</ref> Fischer "crushed such blitz kings as Tal, Petrosian and Vasily Smyslov by a clean score".<ref name="Kasparov 2004, p. 343">], p. 343.</ref> Tal marveled that, "During the entire tournament he didn't leave a single pawn ]!", while the other players "blundered knights and bishops galore".<ref name="Kasparov 2004, p. 343"/><ref>], p. 183.</ref> For Lombardy, who had played many blitz games with Fischer,<ref>], p. 90. "I was among the best blitz players around I trained regularly with Bobby since he was 11-years old."</ref> Fischer's 4½-point margin of victory "came as a pleasant surprise".<ref>], pp. 90–91. "As for Bobby's ability at speed chess, it came as no shock that Bobby would win the world blitz championship in 1970 in Belgrade. I expected Bobby to win by a wide margin, but his winning by a margin of 4½ points ahead of Tal did come as a pleasant surprise!"</ref>
			] for the ] match in 1970]]
	Fischer began 1966 by winning the U.S. Championship for the seventh time despite losing to Robert Byrne and Reshevsky in the eighth and ninth rounds.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 82–86.</ref><ref>Brady 1973, pp. 92–94.</ref> He also reconciled with Mrs. Piatigorsky, accepting an invitation to the very strong second ] tournament in ]. Fischer began disastrously and after eight rounds was tied for last with 3/8. He then staged "the most sensational comeback in the history of grandmaster chess", scoring 7/8 in the next eight rounds. At the end, World Championship finalist Boris Spassky edged him out by a half point, scoring 11½/18 to Fischer's 11.<ref>Kashdan 1977, p. v.</ref> Now aged 23, Fischer would win every match or tournament he completed for the rest of his life.<ref name="Kasparov 2004, p. 322">Kasparov 2004, p. 322.</ref>
			In April–May 1970, Fischer won at ]/] with 13/17 (+10−1=6), by a two-point margin, ahead of Gligorić, ], Korchnoi, Smyslov, and Petrosian.<ref>], p. 342.</ref><ref>], pp. 263–70.</ref> In July–August, Fischer crushed the mostly grandmaster field at ], winning by a 3½-point margin, scoring 15/17 (+13−0=4).<ref>], pp. 271–78.</ref> Fischer then played first board for the US Team in the 19th Chess Olympiad in Siegen, where he won an individual Silver medal, scoring 10/13 (+8−1=4),<ref name="Di Felice 2013c, p. 366"/> with his only loss being to World Champion Boris Spassky.<ref>], pp. 201–02.</ref> Right after the Olympiad, Fischer defeated ] in an exhibition game for the Swedish newspaper ''Expressen''.<ref>], p. 279.</ref> Fischer had taken his game to a new level.<ref>], pp. 342–44.</ref>
			Fischer won the Interzonal (held in ] in November and December 1970) with 18½/23 (+15−1=7),<ref>], pp. 320–21.</ref> far ahead of Larsen, ], and ], with 15/23.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mark Weeks |url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/7072$iix.htm |title=World Chess Championship 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal Tournament |publisher=Printer |date=1997–2008 |access-date=October 4, 2008 |archive-date=February 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228121851/http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/7072$iix.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>], pp. 171–72. "Fischer's 3½-point margin set a new record for an Interzonal, beating Alexander Kotov's 3-point margin at ] 1952."</ref> Fischer finished the tournament with seven consecutive wins.<ref>], p. 179. "Panno refused to play in protest of the organizers' rescheduling of the game to accommodate Fischer's desire not to play on his religion's ]. Panno was not present when the game was to begin. Fischer waited ten minutes before playing his first move (1.c4) and went to get Panno to convince him to play. Forty-five minutes later, Panno came to the board and resigned."</ref><ref>], pp. 344, 410.</ref> Setting aside the Sousse Interzonal (which Fischer withdrew from while leading), Fischer's victory gave him a string of eight consecutive first prizes in tournaments.<ref>], p. 137.</ref> Former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik was not, however, impressed by Fischer's results, stating: "Fischer has been declared a genius. I do not agree with this… In order to rightly be declared a genius in chess, you have to defeat equal opponents by a big margin. As yet he has not done this".<ref>], p. 214.</ref> Despite Botvinnik's remarks, "Fischer began a miraculous year in the history of chess".<ref>], p. 86.</ref>
	In 1967, Fischer won the U.S. Championship for the eighth and final time, ceding only three draws.<ref>Müller 2009, pp. 284–85.</ref><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 87–91.</ref> In March–April and August–September, he won strong tournaments at ] (7/9)<ref>Di Felice 2013b, p. 396.</ref> and ] (13½/17).<ref>Müller 2009, pp. 291, 296–97.</ref><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 236–47</ref> In the Philippines he played a series of nine exhibition games against master opponents, winning eight and drawing one.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, pp. 450–53.</ref>
			In the 1971 Candidates matches, Fischer was set to play against Soviet grandmaster and concert pianist ] in the quarter-finals. The match began in mid-May in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 167">], p. 167.</ref> Fischer was generally favored to win.<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 167"/><ref>], p. 88.</ref> Taimanov had reason to be confident. He was backed by the firm guidance of Botvinnik, who "had thoroughly analysed Fischer's record and put together a 'dossier' on him", from when he was in talks to play Fischer in a match "a couple of years earlier".<ref>], pp. 220–22.</ref> After Fischer defeated Taimanov in the second game of the match, Taimanov asked Fischer how he managed to come up with the move 12. N1c3, to which Fischer replied "that the idea was not his—he had come across it in the monograph by the Soviet master ] in a footnote".<ref>], pp. 225–26.</ref> Taimanov said of this: "It is staggering that I, an expert on the Sicilian, should have missed this theoretically significant idea by my compatriot, while Fischer had uncovered it in a book in a foreign language!"<ref>], p. 226.</ref> With the score at 4–0, in Fischer's favor, the fifth game adjournment was a sight to behold.<ref>], p. 232. {{"'}}What happened next during the resumption of the 5th game,' Tal wrote later, 'had to be seen to be believed. It is simply incredible that three grandmasters could have left a rook en prise a mere three moves after the resumption of the game.{{'"}}</ref> Schonberg explains the scene:<ref name="Schonberg 1973, p. 267"/>
	===Withdraws while leading Interzonal===
	Fischer's win in the 1965 U.S. Championship qualified him for the next World Championship cycle.<ref name="Di Felice 2013b, p. 167"/> At the 1967 ] Interzonal, Fischer scored 8½ points in the first 10 games, to lead the field. His observance of the Worldwide Church of God's ] was honored by the organizers, but deprived Fischer of several rest days, which led to a scheduling dispute. Fischer forfeited two games in protest and later withdrew, eliminating himself from the ].<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 161–166.</ref> Since Fischer had completed less than half of his scheduled games, all of his results were annulled, meaning players who had played Fischer had those games cancelled, and the scores nullified from the official tournament record.<ref name = "Wade-p331"/>
			{{blockquote|Taimanov came to Vancouver with two seconds, both grandmasters. Fischer was alone. He thought that the sight of Taimanov and his seconds was the funniest thing he had ever seen. There Taimanov and his seconds would sit, six hands flying, pocket sets waving in the air, while variations were being spouted all over the place. And there sat Taimanov with a confused look on his face. Just before resuming play the seconds were giving Taimanov some last-minute advice. When poor Taimanov entered the playing room and sat down to confront Fischer, his head was so full of conflicting continuations that he became rattled, left a Rook ''en prise'' and immediately resigned.}}
	===Second semi-retirement===
			Fischer beat Taimanov by the score of 6–0.<ref>], pp. 412–16.</ref> There was little precedent for such a lopsided score in a match leading to the World Championship.<ref>] "From Portorož to Petrosian", in ], p. 345. "The record books showed that the only comparable achievement to the 6–0 score against Taimanov was ]'s 7–0 win against ] in 1876 in an era of more primitive defensive technique."</ref>
	In 1968, Fischer won tournaments at ] (11½/13)<ref>Di Felice 2013c, p. 56.</ref> and ] (11/13)<ref>Di Felice 2013c, p. 91.</ref> by large margins.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 248–59.</ref> Fischer then stopped playing for the next 18 months, with the exception of a win against Anthony Saidy in a 1969 New York Metropolitan League team match.<ref name="Müllerp.321"/><ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 154–55.</ref>
			Upon losing the final game of the match, Taimanov shrugged his shoulders, saying sadly to Fischer: "Well, I still have my music."<ref>], p. 188. Quoted in ], p. 168.</ref> As a result of his performance, Taimanov "was thrown out of the USSR team and forbidden to travel for two years. He was banned from writing articles, was deprived of his monthly stipend… the authorities prohibited him from performing on the concert platform."<ref>], pp. 91–92.</ref> "The crushing loss virtually ended Taimanov's chess career."<ref>], p. 168.</ref>
	In 1969, Fischer released his second games collection, entitled '']'', which was published by Simon & Schuster. Fischer was assisted by his friend, grandmaster Larry Evans. The book of deeply annotated games became an instant best-seller.
			Fischer was next scheduled to play against Danish GM Bent Larsen. "Spassky predicted a tight struggle. 'Larsen is a little stronger in spirit.{{' "}}<ref>], p. 92.</ref> Before the match, Botvinnik had told a Soviet television audience:<ref>{{cite book
	==World Champion==
			|author=Bernard Cafferty
	In 1970, Fischer began a new effort to become World Champion. His dramatic march toward the title made him a household name and made chess front-page news for a time. Chess statistician ] observes that "for about a year, Bobby Fischer dominated his contemporaries to an extent never seen before or since."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2409|title=The Greatest Chess Player of All Time – Part IV |author =Sonas, J.|publisher=Chessbase|year=2005}}</ref> He won the title in 1972, but forfeited it three years later.
			|title=Candidates Matches 1971
			|year=1972|page=102
			|publisher=The Chess Player
			|asin=B0007APXZK
			}}</ref>
			{{blockquote|It is hard to say how their match will end, but it is clear that such an easy victory as in Vancouver will not be given to Fischer. I think Larsen has unpleasant surprises in store for , all the more since having dealt with Taimanov thus, Fischer will want to do just the same to Larsen and this is impossible.}}
	===Road to the World Championship===
	] from his round 3 game against ] in the 1970 ] in ], Germany]]
			Fischer beat Larsen by the identical score of 6–0.<ref>], p. 360. "…{{nbsp}}the chess world… was positively sent reeling by Bobby's crushing 6–0 defeat of Larsen."</ref> Robert Byrne writes: "To a certain extent I could grasp the Taimanov match as a kind of curiosity—almost a freak, a strange chess occurrence that would never occur again. But now I am at a loss for anything whatever to say… So, it is out of the question for me to explain how Bobby, how anyone, could win six games in a row from such a genius of the game as Bent Larsen".<ref>], p. 19.</ref> Just a year before, Larsen had played first board for the Rest of the World team ahead of Fischer, and had handed Fischer his only loss at the Interzonal. ] later wrote that no player had ever shown a superiority over his rivals comparable to Fischer's "incredible" 12–0 score in the two matches.<ref>], pp. 405–06.</ref> Chess statistician Jeff Sonas concludes that the victory over Larsen gave Fischer the "highest single-match ] ever".<ref>{{cite web |author=Jeff Sonas|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2354 |title=The Greatest Chess Player of All Time – Part II |publisher=chessbase.com |date=April 28, 2005 |access-date=November 1, 2009}}</ref>
	The 1969 U.S. Championship was also a zonal qualifier, with the top three finishers advancing to the Interzonal. Fischer, however, had sat out the U.S. Championship because of disagreements about the tournament's format and prize fund. Benko, one of the three qualifiers, agreed to give up his spot in the Interzonal in order to give Fischer another shot at the World Championship.<ref name="Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 137">Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 137.</ref><ref>Benko & Silman, p. 426.</ref><ref>], in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 342.</ref>
			On August 8, 1971, while preparing for his last Candidates match with former world champion Tigran Petrosian, Fischer won the ] Rapid Tournament, scoring 21½/22 against a strong field.<ref name="Denker & Parr 1995, p. 105"/><ref>{{cite book
	"When it was suggested to Fischer that Benko was considering the gesture based on a large sum of money to be paid to him, Bobby replied that Benko would not give up his berth for money alone. It was a matter of honor."<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 174">Brady 1973, p. 174.</ref> "The only condition I asked for stepping down was for Fischer to agree not to withdraw from the Interzonal or the ensuing matches should he qualify for them - and he fulfilled this condition."<ref>Chess Life & Review, July 1975, Vol. XXX, No. 7.</ref> According to Brady, "Lombardy, who was next in line with the right to participate, was queried as to whether he would also step aside. 'I would like to play,' he answered, 'but Fischer should have the chance.{{'"}}<ref name="Brady 1973, p. 174"/>
			|author=Gino Di Felice
			|title=Chess Results, 1971–1974: A Comprehensive Record with 966 Tournament Crosstables and 148 Match Scores, with Sources
			|publisher=McFarland
			|year=2014|pages=48–49
			|isbn=978-1-4766-1891-3
			}}</ref>
			Despite Fischer's results against Taimanov and Larsen, his upcoming match against Petrosian seemed a daunting task.<ref>], p. 21. "Petrosian's opponents have declared him to be 'the hardest player in history to defeat.{{'"}}</ref> Nevertheless, the Soviet government was concerned about Fischer.<ref>], p. 114.</ref><ref>], p. 273. "'''Karpov:''' It was already clear that the winner would have to play Fischer, who on the other staircase was rapidly ascending to the chess throne. There was practically no doubt that Spassky would be able to deal with him, but in the Sports Committee they decided that it was better if it didn't come to this… And so the officials summoned Petrosian and Korchnoi and asked them directly which of them had the better chances against Fischer. Korchnoi said that the 'generation beaten by Fischer' had practically no chances. But Petrosian said that he believed in himself. After this it was suggested to Korchnoi that he should allow Petrosian to win, and in compensation they promised to send him to three major tournaments (which for a Soviet player in those times was a princely reward)."</ref> "Reporters asked Petrosian whether the match would last the full twelve games… 'It might be possible that I win it earlier,' Petrosian replied",<ref>], p. 169.</ref> and then stated: "Fischer's wins do not impress me. He is a great chess player but no genius."<ref>], p. 195.</ref> Petrosian played a strong {{chessgloss|theoretical novelty}} in the first game, gaining the advantage, but Fischer eventually won the game after Petrosian faltered.<ref>], pp. 408–17.</ref><ref>] (1980) ''The Art of Chess Analysis'', R.H.M. Press, pp. 36–42. {{ISBN|0-89058-048-0}}.</ref><ref>], pp. 259–62.</ref> This gave Fischer a run of 20 consecutive wins against the world's top players (in the Interzonal and Candidates matches), a ] topped only by Steinitz's 25 straight wins in 1873–1882.<ref>], pp. 311–12.</ref><ref name=s2002/> Petrosian won the second game, finally snapping Fischer's streak.<ref>], pp. 266–70.</ref>{{efn|1=According to Miguel Quinteros, Fischer had the flu at the beginning of the match.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/opinion/2020/07/23/bobby-fischer-el-vincent-van-gogh-de-nuestro-tiempo/|title=Bobby Fischer, el Vincent van Gogh de nuestro tiempo|first=Miguel|last=Quinteros|date=July 23, 2020|website=Infobae.com|access-date=December 7, 2021}}</ref>}} After three consecutive draws, Fischer swept the next four games to win the match 6½–2½ (+5−1=3).<ref>] (1971) ''The Final Candidates Match Buenos Aires, 1971: Fischer vs Petrosian'', Hostel Chess Association. pp. 13–32.</ref> ''Sports Illustrated'' ran an article on the match, highlighting Fischer's domination of Petrosian as being due to Petrosian's outdated system of preparation:<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Robert Cantwell|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/11/08/612506/bobby-clears-the-board-for-the-title |title=Bobby Clears The Board For The Title |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=November 8, 1971 |access-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref>
	Before the Interzonal, in March and April 1970, the world's best players competed in the ] match in ], Yugoslavia, often referred to as "the Match of the Century". Fischer allowed Bent Larsen of Denmark to play ] for the Rest of the World team in light of Larsen's recent outstanding tournament results, even though Fischer had the higher ].<ref name="Müllerp.321">Müller 2009, p. 321.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/1970g/1970in.html|title=USSR vs Rest of the World: Belgrade 1970|date=2003–2008|publisher=Wojciech Bartelski & Co.|accessdate=October 4, 2008}}</ref> The USSR team eked out a 20½–19½ victory, but on second board Fischer beat Tigran Petrosian, whom Boris Spassky had dethroned as World Champion the previous year, 3–1, winning the first two games and drawing the last two.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/wijk08/fischer.html|title=Robert James Fischer 1943–2008|last=Crowther|first=Mark|year=2008|publisher=Mark Crowther|accessdate=October 4, 2008}}</ref><ref>Di Felice 2013c, p. 374.</ref>
			{{blockquote|Fischer's recent record raises the distinct possibility that he has made a breakthrough in modern chess theory. His response to Petrosian's elaborately plotted 11th move in the first game is an example: Russian experts had worked on the variation for weeks, yet when it was thrown at Fischer suddenly, he faced its consequences alone and won by applying simple, classic principles.}}
	After the USSR versus the Rest of the World Match, the unofficial World Championship of Lightning Chess (5-minute games) was held at ]. Petrosian and Tal were considered the favorites,<ref name="ChessDigestp.83">Chess Digest 1971, p. 83.</ref> but Fischer overwhelmed the super-class field with 19/22 (+17−1=4), far ahead of Tal (14½), Korchnoi (14), Petrosian (13½), Bronstein (13), etc.<ref name="ChessDigestp.83"/><ref name="DenkerParrp.105">Denker & Parr 1995, p. 105.</ref> Fischer lost only one game, to Korchnoi, who was also the only player to achieve an even score against him in the double ].<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 188–89.</ref><ref>Chess Digest 1971, pp. 83–92.</ref> Fischer "crushed such blitz kings as Tal, Petrosian and ] by a clean score".<ref name="Kasparov2004p.343">Kasparov 2004, p. 343.</ref> Tal marveled that, "During the entire tournament he didn't leave a single pawn ]!", while the other players "blundered knights and bishops galore".<ref name="Kasparov2004p.343"/><ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 183.</ref>
			Upon completion of the match, Petrosian remarked: "After the sixth game Fischer really did become a genius. I on the other hand, either had a breakdown or was tired, or something else happened, but the last three games were no longer chess."<ref>], p. 96.</ref><ref>], p. 289.</ref> "Some experts kept insisting that Petrosian was off form, and that he should have had a plus score at the end of the sixth game{{nbsp}}…" to which Fischer replied, "People have been playing against me below strength for fifteen years."<ref>], p. 269.</ref> Fischer's match results befuddled Botvinnik: "It is hard to talk about Fischer's matches. Since the time that he has been playing them, miracles have begun."<ref name="Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 293">], p. 293.</ref> "When Petrosian played like Petrosian, Fischer played like a very strong grandmaster, but when Petrosian began making mistakes, Fischer was transformed into a genius."<ref name="Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 293"/>
	In April–May 1970, Fischer won easily at ]/] with 13/17 (+10−1=6), finishing two points ahead of a field that included such leading players as ], ], Korchnoi, Smyslov, and Petrosian.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 263–70.</ref><ref>Kasparov 2004, p. 342.</ref> In July–August, he crushed the mostly grandmaster field at Buenos Aires, scoring 15/17 (+13−0=4) and winning by 3½ points.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 271–78.</ref> Fischer then played first board for the U.S. Team in the Siegen Olympiad in the 19th Chess Olympiad in Siegen, where he won an individual Silver medal, winning 76.9% of his games, and scoring 10/13 (+8−1=4),<ref>Di Felice 2013c, p. 366.</ref> with his only loss being to World Champion Boris Spassky.<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 201-202.</ref> Right after the Olympiad, he defeated ] in an exhibition game for the Swedish newspaper ''Expressen''.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 279.</ref> Fischer had taken his game to a new level.<ref>Kasparov 2004, pp. 342–44.</ref>
			Fischer gained a far higher rating than any player in history up to that time.<ref>], p. 74.</ref> On the July 1972 FIDE rating list, his ] of 2785 was 125 points above (World No. 2) Spassky's rating of 2660.<ref name="Informant14ratinglist">'']'', Volume 14, Šahovski Informator, 1973, pp. 302–07.</ref><ref name="AllTimeRankings">{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo197207e.html |title=FIDE Rating List July 1972 |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
	The Interzonal was held in ] in November and December 1970. Fischer won it with an 18½–4½ score (+15−1=7),<ref>Di Felice 2013c, p. 320.</ref> far ahead of Larsen, ], and ], who tied for second at 15–8.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/7072$iix.htm|title=World Chess Championship 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal Tournament|last=Weeks|first=Mark|date=1997–2008|publisher=Mark Weeks|accessdate=October 4, 2008}}</ref> Fischer's 3½-point margin set a new record for an Interzonal, beating Alexander Kotov's 3-point margin at ] 1952.<ref>Kažić 1974, pp. 171–72.</ref> Fischer finished the tournament with seven consecutive wins (including a final-round ] against ]).<ref>Panno refused to play in protest of the organizers' rescheduling of the game to accommodate Fischer's desire not to play on his religion's ]. Panno was not present when the game was to begin. Fischer waited ten minutes before playing his first move (1.c4) and went to get Panno to convince him to play. Fifty-two minutes had elapsed on Panno's clock before he came to the board and resigned. Brady 1973, p. 179; Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 344, 410.</ref> Setting aside the Sousse Interzonal (which Fischer withdrew from while leading), Fischer's victory gave him a string of eight consecutive first prizes in tournaments.<ref name="Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 137"/>
			|author=Arpad Elo
			|title=The Rating of Chess Players, Past and Present
			|year=1978|page=43
			|publisher=Batsford
			|isbn=978-0-668-04721-0
			}}</ref><ref name=domination>Albert Silver, , ChessBase, March 1, 2013</ref> His results put him on the cover of ],<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Brad Darrach|date=November 12, 1971|title=Bobby Fischer is a ferocious winner|magazine=Life|volume=71|number=20|pages=50A–53|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F0AEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA49|access-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref> and allowed him to challenge World Champion Boris Spassky, whom he had never beaten (+0−3=2).<ref>], p. 429.</ref><ref>], p. 336. "' … I must warn Spassky that Fischer is armed with all the new ideas in chess. As soon as Fischer gains even the slightest advantage, he begins playing like a machine. You cannot hope for some mistake. Fischer is a quite extraordinary player. His match with Spassky will be tough.{{'"}}</ref>
			===World Championship match===
	Former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik was not, however, impressed by Fischer's results, stating: "Fischer has been declared a genius. I do not agree with this... In order to rightly be declared a genius in chess, you have to defeat equal opponents by a big margin. As yet he has not done this."<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 214.</ref>
			{{Main|World Chess Championship 1972}}
			Fischer's career-long stubbornness about match and tournament conditions was again seen in the run-up to his match with Spassky. Of the possible sites, Fischer's first choice was ], ], while Spassky's was ], Iceland.<ref>], pp. 10–11.</ref> For a time it appeared that the dispute would be resolved by splitting the match between the two locations, but that arrangement failed.<ref>], pp. 11–12.</ref> After that issue was resolved, Fischer refused to appear in Iceland until the prize fund was increased. London financier ] donated an additional US$125,000, bringing the prize fund up to an unprecedented $250,000 (${{Inflation|US|0.250|1972|fmt=c|r=2}} million today) and Fischer finally agreed to play.<ref name="Gligoric 1972, p. 13">], p. 13.</ref>
	Despite Botvinnik's remarks, "Fischer began a miraculous year in the history of chess."<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 86.</ref> In the 1971 Candidates matches, Fischer was set to play against Soviet grandmaster and concert pianist<ref>Brady 2011, p. 81.</ref> ] in the quarter-finals. "Their match was to begin in May 1971 in ], ], on the beautiful campus of the University of British Columbia."<ref>Brady 2011, p. 167.</ref> " saw himself as the firm favorite in the Taimanov match. He was not alone; the noncommunist press was of the same mind. Only Taimanov insisted that he could win, dismissing Fischer as a mere computer."<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 88.</ref>
			Before and during the match, Fischer paid special attention to his physical training and fitness, which was a relatively novel approach for top chess players at that time. Leading up to this match he conducted interviews with '']'' and ] explaining the importance of physical fitness in his preparation. He had developed his tennis skills to a good level, and played frequently during off-days in Reykjavík. He had also arranged for exclusive use of his hotel's swimming pool during specified hours, and swam for extended periods, usually late at night.<ref>], p. 47.</ref> According to Soviet ] ], Fischer "was paying great attention to sport, and that he was swimming and even boxing{{nbsp}}…"<ref>], p. 308.</ref>
	Taimanov had reason to be confident. He was backed by the firm guidance of Botvinnik, who "had thoroughly analysed Fischer's record and put together a 'dossier' on him", from when he was in talks to play Fischer in a match "a couple of years earlier".<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 220–222.</ref> But Taimanov's preparation proved insufficient for Fischer.
			The match took place in Reykjavík from July to September 1972. Fischer was accompanied by William Lombardy; besides assisting with analysis,<ref>], pp. 225, 253.</ref> Lombardy may have played an important role in getting Fischer to play in the match and to stay in it.<ref>], p. 248.</ref> The match was the first to receive an American broadcast in prime time.<ref name="Alexander 1972, p. 141">], p. 141.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/19/chess.sport|title=Death of a madman driven sane by chess|author =Stephen Moss|newspaper=The Guardian|date=January 19, 2008|access-date=January 4, 2016}}</ref> Fischer lost the first two games in strange fashion: the first when he played a risky pawn-grab in a drawn ], the second by forfeit when he refused to play the game in a dispute over playing conditions.<ref>], pp. 84–87.</ref> Fischer would likely have forfeited the entire match, but Spassky, not wanting to win by default, yielded to Fischer's demands to move the next game to a back room, away from the cameras, whose presence had upset Fischer.<ref>], p. 37.</ref><ref>], p. 87.</ref> After that game, the match was moved back to the stage and proceeded without further serious incident. Fischer won seven of the next 19 games, losing only one and drawing eleven, to win the match 12½–8½ and become the 11th World Chess Champion.<ref name="Alexander 1972, p. 141"/>
	After Fischer defeated Taimanov in the second game of the match, Taimanov asked Fischer how he managed to come up with the move 12. N1c3, to which Fischer replied "that the idea was not his—he had come across it in the monograph by the Soviet master Alexander Nikitin in a footnote."<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 225–226.</ref> Taimanov said of this: "It is staggering that I, an expert on the Sicilian, should have missed this theoretically significant idea by my compatriot, while Fischer had uncovered it in a book in a foreign language!"<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 226.</ref>
			The ] trappings made the match a media sensation.<ref>], pp. 271–73.</ref> It was called "The Match of the Century",<ref>], p. vii.</ref><ref>], p. 136 (originally published in ''De Tijd'', June 28, 1972). "Even before a move has been made, this breathtaking, blood-curdling and heartrending encounter is justly being labelled as 'the Match of the Century'."</ref>{{efn|1=Perhaps the best-selling book on the match was subtitled ''The New York Times Report on the Chess Match of the Century''.<ref name=Roberts/>}} and received front-page media coverage in the United States and around the world.<ref name=Roberts>{{cite book|author=Richard Roberts |author2=Harold C. Schonberg |author3=I. A. Horowitz |author4=Samuel Reshevsky|name-list-style=amp
	Fischer beat Taimanov by the score of 6–0.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 412–16.</ref> "The record books showed that the only comparable achievement to the 6–0 score against Taimanov was ]'s 7–0 win against ] in 1876 in an era of more primitive defensive technique."<ref>], ''From Portorož to Petrosian'', in Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 345.</ref> Upon losing the final game of the match, Taimanov shrugged his shoulders, saying sadly to Fischer: "Well, I still have my music."<ref>Brady 1973, p. 188. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 168.</ref>
			|title=Fischer/Spassky: The New York Times Report on the Chess Match of the Century
			|year=1972|pages=195–96
			|publisher=Bantam Books
			|isbn=978-0-553-07667-7
			}}</ref><ref>], p. 370. The match made the covers of '']'' and '']''. ''Id.'' at 19.</ref> Fischer's win was an American victory in a field that Soviet players – closely identified with and subsidized by the state – had dominated for the previous quarter-century. Kasparov remarked, "Fischer fits ideologically into the context of the Cold War era: a lone American genius challenges the Soviet chess machine and defeats it".<ref>], p. 206.</ref><ref>], p. 15.</ref> Dutch Grandmaster ] calls Fischer's victory "the story of a lonely hero who overcomes an entire empire".<ref>], p. 89.</ref> Fischer's sister observed, "Bobby did all this in a country almost totally without a chess culture. It was as if an ] had cleared a tennis court in the snow and gone on to win the world championship".<ref>], p. 13.</ref>
			Upon Fischer's return to New York,<ref>], pp. 10–11.</ref> a Bobby Fischer Day was held.<ref>{{cite book
	As a result of his performance, Taimanov "was thrown out of the USSR team and forbidden to travel for two years. He was banned from writing articles, was deprived of his monthly stipend...&nbsp; the authorities prohibited him from performing on the concert platform."<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 91–92.</ref> "The crushing loss virtually ended Taimanov's chess career."<ref>Brady 2011, p. 168.</ref>
			|author=Anthony Saidy |author2=Norman Lessing|name-list-style=amp
			|title=The World of Chess
			|year=1974|pages=–226
			|publisher=Random House
			|isbn=978-0-394-48777-9
			|url=https://archive.org/details/worldofchess00said
			|url-access=registration |quote=Wearing city's gold medal and accompanied by Mayor ], Bobby shakes hands with some 3,000 fans attending{{nbsp}}...
			}}</ref> He was offered numerous product endorsement offers worth "at least $5 million" (${{Inflation|US|5|1972|fmt=c|r=1}} million today), all of which he declined.<ref>Larry Evans, in ], p. 13.</ref> He appeared on the cover of '']''<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.si.com/vault/issue/43123/1/1 |title=Bobby's Chessboard Mastery |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=August 14, 1972 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313035010/http://www.si.com/vault/issue/43123/1/1 |access-date=May 12, 2007 |archive-date=March 13, 2016 }}</ref> with American Olympic swimming champion ] and also appeared on '']'', as well as on a ] TV special.<ref name="Cavett">{{cite news |author=Dick Cavett |url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/was-it-only-a-game/ |title=Was It Only a Game? |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 8, 2008 |access-date=January 4, 2014}}</ref> Membership in the US Chess Federation doubled in 1972,<ref>{{cite web |year=2016 |title=2016 US Chess Yearbook |website=uschess.org |url=http://www.uschess.org/images/stories/Yearbooks/2016yearbook.pdf |access-date=August 30, 2018 }}</ref> and peaked in 1974; in American chess, these years are commonly referred to as the "Fischer Boom". This match attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.<ref>], pp. 2–3. "The 1972 championship will become immortalized in film, on the stage, in song. It will remain incontrovertibly the most notorious chess duel in history. There will never be another like it… A lone American star was challenging the long Soviet grip on the world title. His success would dispose of the Soviet's claim that their chess hegemony reflected the superiority of their political system{{nbsp}}…"</ref>
			===Forfeiture of title===
	Fischer was next scheduled to play against Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen. "Spassky predicted a tight struggle: 'Larsen is a little stronger in spirit.{{'"}}<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 92.</ref>
			Fischer was scheduled to defend his title in 1975 against ], who had ].<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Robert Byrne
			|title=Anatoly Karpov: The Road to the World Chess Championship
			|year=1976
			|publisher=Bantam Books
			|isbn=978-0-553-02876-8
			}}</ref> Fischer, who had played no competitive games since his World Championship match with Spassky, laid out a proposal for the match in September 1973, in consultation with FIDE official Fred Cramer. He made three principal (non-negotiable) demands:
			#The match continues until one player wins 10 games, draws not counting.
	Before the match, Botvinnik had told a Soviet television audience:<ref>Cafferty 1972, p. 102.</ref><blockquote>It is hard to say how their match will end, but it is clear that such an easy victory as in Vancouver will not be given to Fischer. I think Larsen has unpleasant surprises in store for him, all the more since having dealt with Taimanov thus, Fischer will want to do just the same to Larsen and this is impossible.</blockquote>
			#No limit to the total number of games played.
			#In case of a 9–9 score, the champion (Fischer) retains the title, and the prize fund is split equally.<ref>], p. 471.</ref>
			Fischer argued that these demands were reasonable because otherwise a player who had taken the lead could trade some pieces and draw some games, coasting towards the title. This was arguably what had happened in the 1972 match (games 14–20 were all drawn), but it was a style of chess that Fischer found offensive. Under the proposed 10-win format, one would still have to play for a win.<ref name="SeirawanBrilliancies">{{cite book|author=Yasser Seirawan|title=Winning Chess Brilliancies|year=2003|publisher=Microsoft Press}}</ref>
	Fischer beat Larsen by the score of 6–0.<ref>"If the chess world had been surprised by Fischer's running roughshod over Taimanov, it was positively sent reeling by Bobby's crushing 6–0 defeat of Larsen." Müller 2009, p. 360.</ref> Robert Byrne writes: "It is out of the question for me to explain how Bobby, how anyone, could win six games in a row from such a genius of the game as Bent Larsen".<ref>Byrne & Nei 1974, p. 19.</ref> Just a year before, Larsen had played first board for the Rest of the World team ahead of Fischer, and had handed Fischer his only loss at the Interzonal. ] later wrote that no player had ever shown a superiority over his rivals comparable to Fischer's "incredible" 12–0 score in the two matches.<ref>Kasparov 2004, pp. 405–06.</ref> Chess statistician Sonas concludes that the victory over Larsen gave Fischer the "highest single-match ] ever".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2354|title=The Greatest Chess Player of All Time – Part II|last=Sonas|first=Jeff|date=April 28, 2005|publisher=Chessmetrics|accessdate=November 1, 2009}}</ref>
			Many observers considered Fischer's requested 9–9 clause unfair because it would require the challenger to win by at least two games (10–8).<ref>], p. 46. "Grandmaster ] remarked of Fischer's demand that the champion keep his title in the event of a 9–9 tie, 'They thought that this demand was too severe. It was rejected, understandably'."</ref> Botvinnik called the 9–9 clause "unsporting".<ref>], pp. 417–18.</ref> Korchnoi, ], and ] considered the 9–9 clause reasonable.<ref>], pp. 418–19.</ref><ref>], p. 159. "In a letter to Larry Evans, published in '']'' in November 1974, Fischer claimed the usual system (24 games with the first player to get 12½ points winning, and the champion retaining his title in the event of a 12–12 tie) encouraged the player in the lead to draw games, which he regarded as bad for chess. Not counting draws would be 'an accurate test of who is the world's best player'."</ref><ref>], pp. 110–11. "Former US Champion ], who was in contact with Fischer during the negotiations with FIDE, claimed that Fischer wanted a long match to be able to play himself into shape after a three-year layoff."</ref> Korchnoi in particular stated:<ref>], p. 418.</ref>
	In August 1971, while preparing for his last Candidates match with former World Champion Tigran Petrosian, Fischer played a strong lightning event at the ], winning with a score of 21½/22.<ref name="DenkerParrp.105"/>
			{{blockquote|Was Fischer right in demanding that the world title be protected by a two point handicap – that the challenger would be considered the winner with a 10–8 score and that the champion would retain his title in the event of a 9–9 draw? Yes, this was quite natural: the champion deserves this, not to mention the fact that further play to the first win in the event of an even score would be nothing short of a lottery – the winner in that case could not claim to have won a convincing victory.}}
	"Reporters asked Petrosian whether the match would last the full twelve games... 'It might be possible that I win it earlier,' Petrosian replied,"<ref>Brady 2011, p. 169.</ref> and then stated: "Fischer's wins do not impress me. He is a great chess player but no genius."<ref>Brady 1973, p. 195.</ref>
			There was also the practical issue of hosting an unlimited match. If neither player could prove their superiority and there were an endless series of draws, the cost of the match would be astronomical.<ref name="SeirawanBrilliancies" />
	Petrosian played a strong ] in the first game, gaining the advantage, but Fischer eventually won the game after Petrosian faltered.<ref>Kasparov 2004, pp. 408–17.</ref><ref>], ''The Art of Chess Analysis'', R.H.M. Press, 1980, pp. 36–42. ISBN 0-89058-048-0.</ref><ref>Soltis 2003, pp. 259–62.</ref> This gave Fischer a run of 20 consecutive wins against the world's top players (in the Interzonal and Candidates matches), a ] topped only by Steinitz's 25 straight wins in 1873–82.<ref name="Record">{{Cite book|last=Soltis|first=Andy|title=Chess Lists Second Edition|publisher=McFarland and Company|location=Jefferson, North Carolina and London|year=2002|isbn=0-7864-1296-8}}</ref> Petrosian won the second game, finally snapping Fischer's streak.<ref>Mednis 1997, pp. 266–70.</ref> After three consecutive draws, Fischer swept the next four games to win the match 6½–2½ (+5−1=3).<ref>], ''The Final Candidates Match Buenos Aires, 1971: Fischer vs Petrosian'', Hostel Chess Association, 1971, pp. 13–32.</ref> Sports Illustrated ran an article on the match, highlighting Fischer's domination of Petrosian as being due to Petrosian's outdated system of preparation:<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085509/3/index.htm |title=Bobby Clears The Board For The Title | last=Cantwell | first=Robert |date=November 8, 1971 |publisher=Sports Illustrated |accessdate=September 10, 2013}}</ref>
			A FIDE Congress was held in 1974 during the ] ]. The delegates voted in favor of Fischer's 10-win proposal, but rejected his other two proposals, and limited the number of games in the match to 36.<ref>], pp. 412–13.</ref> In response to FIDE's ruling, Fischer sent a cable to Euwe on June 27, 1974:<ref>], pp.&nbsp;218–19.</ref><ref>], p. 472.</ref><ref>], pp. 413–14.</ref>
	<blockquote>Fischer's recent record raises the distinct possibility that he has made a breakthrough in modern chess theory. His response to Petrosian's elaborately plotted 11th move in the first game is an example: Russian experts had worked on the variation for weeks, yet when it was thrown at Fischer suddenly, he faced its consequences alone and won by applying simple, classic principles.</blockquote>
			{{blockquote|As I made clear in my telegram to the FIDE delegates, the match conditions I proposed were non-negotiable. Mr. Cramer informs me that the rules of the winner being the first player to win ten games, draws not counting, unlimited number of games and if nine wins to nine match is drawn with champion regaining title and prize fund split equally were rejected by the FIDE delegates. By so doing FIDE has decided against my participation in the 1975 World Chess Championship. Therefore, I resign my FIDE World Chess Championship title. Sincerely, Bobby Fischer.}}
	Upon completion of the match, Petrosian remarked: "After the sixth game Fischer really did become a genius. I on the other hand, either had a breakdown or was tired, or something else happened, but the last three games were no longer chess."<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 96.</ref><ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 289.</ref>
			The delegates responded by reaffirming their prior decisions, but did not accept Fischer's resignation and requested that he reconsider.<ref>], p. 414.</ref>
	Fischer's match results (against Taimanov, Larsen, and Petrosian) led Botvinnik to state: "It is hard to talk about Fischer's matches. Since the time that he has been playing them, miracles have begun."<ref name="Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 293">Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 293.</ref> "When Petrosian played like Petrosian, Fischer played like a very strong grandmaster, but when Petrosian began making mistakes, Fischer was transformed into a genius."<ref name="Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 293"/>
			Due to the continued efforts of US Chess Federation officials,<ref>], p. 282.</ref> a special FIDE Congress was held in March 1975 in Bergen, Netherlands,<ref>Bozidar Kazic (1975). "Anatoly Karpov New World Champion." ''Chess Informant'' 19.</ref> in which it was accepted that the match should be of unlimited duration, but the 9–9 clause was once again rejected, by a narrow margin of 35 votes to 32.<ref>], pp. 414–16.</ref> FIDE set a deadline of April 1, 1975, for Fischer and Karpov to confirm their participation in the match. No reply was received from Fischer by April 3. Thus, by default, Karpov officially became World Champion.<ref>], p. 473.</ref> In his 1991 autobiography, Karpov professed regret that the match had not taken place, and claimed that the lost opportunity to challenge Fischer held back his own chess development. Karpov met with Fischer several times after 1975, in friendly but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to arrange a match, since Karpov would never agree to play to 10.<ref>], pp. 159–65.</ref>
	:{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"
	|-
	!1971 Candidates
	!Final score
	!Location
	!Month
	|-
	|Fischer–Taimanov || 6–0 (+6−0=0) || Vancouver || May
	|-
	|Fischer–Larsen || 6–0 (+6−0=0) || Denver || July
	|-
	|Fischer–Petrosian ||6½–2½ (+5−1=3) || Buenos Aires || Sep.–Oct.
	|}
			] opined in '']'' that Fischer's victory over Spassky in 1972 left him nothing to prove, except that perhaps someone could someday beat him, and he was not interested in the risk of losing. He also opined that Fischer's refusal to recognize peers also allowed his paranoia to flower: "The world championship he won&nbsp;... validated his view of himself as a chess player, but it also insulated him from the humanizing influences of the world around him. He descended into what can only be considered a kind of madness".<ref name="His Own Success 2008"/>
	Fischer's results gave him a far higher rating than any player in history up to that time.<ref>Alexander 1972, p. 74.</ref> On the July 1972 FIDE rating list, his ] of 2785 was 125 points ahead of Spassky, the second-highest rated player at 2660.<ref name="Informant14ratinglist">'']'', Volume 14, Šahovski Informator, 1973, pp. 302–07.</ref><ref name="AllTimeRankings">. Retrieved on 2009-06-21.</ref>
			Bronstein felt that Fischer "had the right to play the match with Karpov on his own conditions".<ref>], pp. 419–20.</ref> Years later, in his 1992 match against Spassky, Fischer similarly said that it was Karpov who refused to play against him under Fischer's conditions.<ref>], p. 247. "'''Roger Cohen:''' Why, after turning down so many offers to make a comeback, did you accept this one? '''Bobby Fischer:''' That's not quite true. As I recall, for example, Karpov in 1975 was the one who refused to play {{em|me}} under {{em|my}} conditions{{nbsp}}…"</ref>
	Shortly after the Petrosian match, Fischer appeared on the cover of '']''.<ref>''Life'', November 12, 1971, "The Deadly Gamesman".</ref>
			Whether Karpov could have beaten Fischer is a matter of speculation. Soviet GM Lev Alburt felt that the decision to not concede to Fischer's demands rested on Karpov's "sober view of what he was capable of".<ref>], p. 419.</ref> Spassky thought that Fischer would have won in 1975 but Karpov would have qualified again and beaten Fischer in 1978.<ref name="Polgar" /> According to ], commentators are divided, with a slight majority believing Fischer would have won, an opinion she shares.<ref name="Polgar">"''From all of the people I spoke to, the opinions split right down the middle with a small edge for Bobby.''" , ], Chesscafe, 2004</ref> Former world champion ] argued that Karpov would have had good chances, because he had beaten Spassky convincingly and was a new breed of tough professional, and indeed had higher-quality games, while Fischer had been inactive for three years.<ref>''Kasparov, ], part IV: Fischer, p. 474''</ref> Karpov himself said in 2020 that he thought he had chances, although he could not say he would be favored.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/karpov-interview-tania-sachdev|title=Karpov on Fischer, Korchnoi, Kasparov and the chess world today|publisher=Chessbase|date=February 5, 2020|access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
	The final match victory allowed Fischer to challenge World Champion Boris Spassky, whom he had never beaten (+0−3=2).<ref>Kasparov 2004, p. 429.</ref> Despite this deficit, Petrosian warned Spassky of the 'new' Fischer:<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 336.</ref><blockquote>I must warn Spassky that Fischer is armed with all the new ideas in chess. As soon as Fischer gains even the slightest advantage, he begins playing like a machine. You cannot hope for some mistake. Fischer is a quite extraordinary player.</blockquote>
			==Sudden obscurity==
	===World Championship match===
			After the 1972 World Chess Championship, Fischer did not play a competitive game in public for nearly 20&nbsp;years.<ref>], p. 22.</ref> In 1977 he published three games he played against the ] ] computer program, winning them all.<ref>{{cite web |author=Penrod, Douglas |date=7 April 1977 |title=Computer Chess Newsletter, Issue 1|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/chess/doc-431614f6d632c/ |access-date=8 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Bisguier, Arthur |date=June 22, 1988 |title=When Bobby Fischer took on a computer |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0622/lchs22.html|access-date=October 7, 2024}}</ref>
	{{Main|World Chess Championship 1972}}
	]
	Fischer's career-long stubbornness about match and tournament conditions was again seen in the run-up to his match with Spassky. Of the possible sites, Fischer's first choice was ], ], while Spassky's was ], Iceland.<ref>Gligorić 1972, pp. 10–11.</ref> For a time it appeared that the dispute would be resolved by splitting the match between the two locations, but that arrangement fell through.<ref>Gligorić 1972, pp. 11–12.</ref> After that issue was resolved, Fischer refused to appear in Iceland until the prize fund was increased. London financier ] donated an additional US$125,000 to the prize fund, bringing it to an unprecedented $250,000 ($1,267,825 in 2009<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ |title=The Inflation Calculator |publisher=Westegg.com |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref>), and Fischer finally agreed to play.<ref name="Gligoric1972p.13">Gligorić 1972, p. 13.</ref>
			He moved to the Los Angeles area and associated with the ] for a time.<ref>], p. 210. "His connection to the Church was always somewhat ambiguous. He was not a registered member, since he hadn't agreed to be baptized by full immersion in water by Armstrong or one of his ministers. And since he wasn't considered a duly recognized convert, he was sometimes referred to as a 'co-worker' or, less politely, as a 'fringer' — someone on the fringes or edges of the Church but not totally committed to its mission. The Church imposed a number of rules that Bobby thought were ridiculous and refused to adhere to "</ref> On May 26, 1981, while walking in Pasadena, Fischer was arrested by a police patrolman, because he resembled a man who had just committed a robbery in the area.<ref>], p. 1.</ref> Fischer, who alleged that he was slightly injured during the arrest,<ref>], p. 2.</ref> said that he was held for two days, subjected to assault and various types of mistreatment,<ref>], pp. 3–14.</ref> and released on $1,000 ].<ref>], pp. 10–12.</ref> Fischer published a 14-page pamphlet detailing his allegations of police misconduct, saying that his arrest had been "a frame up and set up".<ref>], p. 14.</ref><ref name="torture">{{cite web |url=http://www.chessdryad.com/articles/ephemera/Jailhouse.pdf |title=I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse! |last=Fischer |first=Bobby |date=1982 |access-date=March 30, 2022}}</ref><ref name="chun_atlantic">{{cite magazine |author=Chun, Rene |date=December 2002 |title=''Bobby Fischer's pathetic endgame'' |magazine=] |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200212/chun |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref>
	Before and during the match, Fischer paid special attention to his physical training and fitness, which was a relatively novel approach for top chess players at that time. He had developed his ] skills to a good level, and played frequently during off-days in Reykjavík. He also had arranged for exclusive use of his hotel's swimming pool during specified hours, and swam for extended periods, usually late at night.<ref>''Fischer vs Spassky: The Chess Match of the Century'', by ], New York 1972, Simon & Schuster</ref> According to Soviet grandmaster ], Fischer "was paying great attention to sport, and that he was swimming and even boxing..."<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 308</ref>
			In 1981, Fischer stayed at the home of grandmaster ] in San Francisco, where, over a period of four months, he defeated Biyiasas seventeen times in a series of speed games.<ref name="Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 302"/><ref>], p. 224.</ref> In an interview with ''Sports Illustrated'' reporter William Nack, Biyiasas assessed Fischer's play:<ref name="chun_atlantic" /><ref name=Nack>{{cite magazine |author=Nack, William |date=July 29, 1985 |title=Bobby Fischer |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1985/07/29/620937/bobby-fischer |access-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref>
	The match took place in Reykjavík from July through September 1972.<ref name="Alexander1972p.141">Alexander 1972, p. 141.</ref> Fischer lost the first two games in strange fashion: the first when he played a risky pawn-grab in a drawn ], the second by forfeit when he refused to play the game in a dispute over playing conditions.<ref>Alexander 1972, pp. 84–87.</ref> Fischer would likely have forfeited the entire match, but Spassky, not wanting to win by default, yielded to Fischer's demands to move the next game to a back room, away from the cameras whose presence had upset Fischer.<ref>Gligorić 1972, p. 37.</ref><ref>Alexander 1972, p. 87.</ref> After that game, the match was moved back to the stage and proceeded without further serious incident. Fischer won seven of the next 19 games, losing only one and drawing eleven, to win the match 12½–8½ and become the 11th World Chess Champion.<ref name="Alexander1972p.141"/>
			{{blockquote|He was too good. There was no use in playing him. It wasn't interesting. I was getting beaten, and it wasn't clear to me why. It wasn't like I made this mistake or that mistake. It was like I was being gradually outplayed, from the start. He wasn't taking any time to think. The most depressing thing about it is that I wasn't even getting out of the middle game to an endgame. I don't ever remember an endgame. He honestly believes there is no one for him to play, no one worthy of him. I played him, and I can attest to that.}}
	The ] trappings made the match a media sensation.<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 271–73.</ref> It was called "The Match of the Century",<ref>Perhaps the best-selling book on the match was subtitled "'']'' Report on the Chess Match of the Century". Roberts, Schonberg, Horowitz & Reshevsky 1972. Gligorić's book on the match was also subtitled "The Chess Match of the Century". Gligorić 1972.</ref><ref>"Even before a move has been made, this breathtaking, blood-curdling and heartrending encounter is justly being labelled as 'the Match of the Century'." Donner 2006, p. 136 (originally published in ''De Tijd'', June 28, 1972).</ref><ref>Byrne & Nei 1974, p. vii.</ref> and received front-page media coverage in the United States and around the world.<ref>Roberts, Schonberg, Horowitz & Reshevsky 1972, pp. 195–96.</ref><ref>Müller 2009, p. 370. The match made the covers of '']'' and '']''. ''Id.'' at 19.</ref> Fischer's win was an American victory in a field that Soviet players had dominated for the past quarter-century—players closely identified with, and subsidized by, the Soviet state.<ref>Kasparov remarked, "Fischer fits ideologically into the context of the Cold War era: a lone American genius challenges the Soviet chess machine and defeats it". Kasparov 2004, p. 206.</ref><ref>Müller 2009, p. 15.</ref> Dutch grandmaster ] calls Fischer's victory "the story of a lonely hero who overcomes an entire empire".<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 89.</ref><ref>Similarly, Fischer's sister observed, "Bobby did all this in a country almost totally without a chess culture. It was as if an ] had cleared a tennis court in the snow and gone on to win the world championship." Müller 2009, p. 13.</ref>
			In 1988–1990, Fischer had a relationship with German chess player Petra Stadler, who had been put in touch with Fischer by Spassky. When Stadler later published a book about the affair,<ref>{{cite book |author=Dautov, Petra |year=1995 |title=Bobby Fischer – wie er wirklich ist. Ein Jahr mit dem Schachgenie |trans-title=Bobby Fischer – how he really is. A year with the chess genius |place=Darmstadt |publisher=California-Verlag |isbn=9783980428132 |language=de}}</ref> Spassky apologized to Fischer.<ref>], p. 225</ref>
	Fischer became an instant celebrity. Upon his return to New York, a Bobby Fischer Day was held, and he was cheered by thousands of fans, a unique display in American chess.<ref>Saidy & Lessing 1974, pp. 224–25.</ref> He was offered numerous product endorsement offers worth "at least $5 million" (all of which he declined)<ref>Larry Evans, in Müller 2009, p. 13.</ref> and appeared on the cover of '']''.<ref>''Sports Illustrated'', August 14, 1972, "BOBBY'S CHESSBOARD MASTERY".</ref> With American Olympic swimming champion ], he also appeared on a ] TV special.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.createspace.com/211957|title=Bob Hope's Comedy Collection 1972|date=2000–2008|publisher=Createspace|accessdate=October 17, 2008}}{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> Membership in the U.S. Chess Federation doubled in 1972<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uschess.org/about/about.php|title=About the USCF|date=2007–2008|publisher=United States Chess Federation|accessdate=October 17, 2008}}</ref> and peaked in 1974; in American chess, these years are commonly referred to as the "Fischer Boom". Fischer also won the ']' award for 1970, 1971, and 1972. This award, started in 1967, is determined through votes from chess media and leading players.
			==1992 Spassky rematch==
	===Forfeiture of title===
			{{Main|Fischer–Spassky (1992 match)}}
	Fischer was scheduled to defend his title in 1975. Anatoly Karpov eventually emerged as his challenger, having defeated Spassky in an earlier Candidates match.<ref>Karpov beat ] in a Candidates quarter-final match in January–February 1974 (+3−0=5). Byrne 1976, p. 19. In the semi-finals, held in April–May 1974, he beat Spassky (+4−1=6). ''Id.'', p. 79. In the finals, held in September–November 1974, he held on to beat Viktor Korchnoi (+3−2=19). ''Id.'', p. 113.</ref> Fischer, who had played no competitive games since his World Championship match with Spassky, laid out a proposal for the match in September 1973, in consultation with a FIDE official, Fred Cramer. He made three principal demands:
			Fischer emerged after twenty years of isolation to play Spassky (then tied for 96th–102nd on the FIDE rating list) in a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" in 1992. This match took place in ] and ], ], in spite of a United Nations ] that included sanctions on commercial activities. Fischer demanded that the organizers bill the match as "The World Chess Championship", although ] was the recognized FIDE World Champion. Fischer insisted he was still the true World Champion, and that for all the games in the FIDE-sanctioned World Championship matches, involving Karpov, Korchnoi, and Kasparov, the outcomes had been prearranged.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mark Weeks|url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/92fs$$.htm |title=1992 Fischer – Spassky Rematch Highlights |publisher=Printer |date=1997–2008 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> The purse for the rematch was US$5&nbsp;million, with $3.35&nbsp;million of the purse going to the winner.<ref>], p. 8.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4374811.stm |title=Bobby Fischer arrives in Iceland |work=BBC News|date=March 25, 2005 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> This was, and still is, the largest purse for a match in chess history.
			According to grandmaster ]:<ref>], p. 280.</ref>
	#The match continues until one player wins 10 games, draws not counting.
	#No limit to the total number of games played.
	#In case of a 9–9 score, the champion (Fischer) retains the title, and the prize fund is split equally.<ref>Kasparov 2004, p. 471.</ref>
			{{blockquote| were of a fairly high quality, particularly when compared with Kasparov's championship matches of 1993, 1995 and 2000, for example. Yet the games also reminded many fans of how out of place Fischer was in 1992. He was still playing the openings of a previous generation. He was, moreover, the only strong player in the world who didn't trust computers and wasn't surrounded by seconds and supplicants.}}
	A FIDE Congress was held in 1974 during the ] ]. The delegates voted in favor of Fischer's 10-win proposal, but rejected his other two proposals, and limited the number of games in the match to 36.<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 412–13.</ref> In response to FIDE's ruling, Fischer sent a cable to Euwe on June 27, 1974:<ref>Kasparov 2004, p. 472.</ref><ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 413–14.</ref><ref>Brady 2011, pp. 218–19.</ref><blockquote>As I made clear in my telegram to the FIDE delegates, the match conditions I proposed were non-negotiable. Mr. Cramer informs me that the rules of the winner being the first player to win ten games, draws not counting, unlimited number of games and if nine wins to nine match is drawn with champion regaining title and prize fund split equally were rejected by the FIDE delegates. By so doing FIDE has decided against my participation in the 1975 World Chess Championship. Therefore, I resign my FIDE World Chess Championship title. Sincerely, Bobby Fischer.</blockquote>
			Fischer won the match with 10 wins, 5 losses, and 15 draws.<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 382">], p. 382.</ref> Kasparov stated, "Bobby is playing OK, nothing more. Maybe his strength is 2600 or 2650. It wouldn't be close between us".<ref>], p. 298.</ref> ] believed that the match proved that Fischer's playing strength was "somewhere in the top ten in the world".<ref>], p. 283.</ref>
	The delegates responded by reaffirming their prior decisions, but did not accept Fischer's resignation and requested that he reconsider.<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 414.</ref> Many observers considered Fischer's requested 9–9 clause unfair because it would require the challenger to win by at least two games (10–8).<ref>Grandmaster ] remarked of Fischer's demand that the champion keep his title in the event of a 9–9 tie, "They thought that this demand was too severe. It was rejected, understandably." Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 46.</ref>
			Fischer and Spassky gave ten press conferences during the match.<ref>]. The content of the first nine press conferences, in full, at pp. 13, 15–21, 53–57, 86–90, 114–18, 149–54, 170–75, 208–14, 227–31, 256–60. The tenth press conference was not transcribed, p. 272.</ref> Seirawan attended the match and met with Fischer on several occasions; the two analyzed some match games and had personal discourse. Seirawan later wrote: "After September 23 , I threw most of what I'd ever read about Bobby out of my head. Sheer garbage. Bobby is the most misunderstood, misquoted celebrity walking the face of the earth."<ref>], p. 291.</ref> He added that Fischer was not camera shy, smiled and laughed easily, was "a fine wit" and "wholly enjoyable conversationalist".<ref>], pp. 85, 96, 303.</ref>
	Botvinnik (who had benefited from both draw odds and the right to an automatic rematch while champion) called the 9–9 clause "unsporting".<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 417–18.</ref> Korchnoi, ], and ] considered the 9–9 clause reasonable, and Korchnoi and Alburt observed that Karpov, in later securing the right to a rematch if he lost the World Championship, was given a greater advantage by FIDE than Fischer had asked for. Over two matches, Korchnoi was required to beat Karpov by at least 6–5 and 6–5: an aggregate score of +2 and a minimum win requirement +2 greater than Karpov would have needed in 1975. This scenario nearly materialised since the 1978 match was tied 5–5 after 31 games before Karpov won the 32nd game. Korchnoi could in theory have won 6–0 in the first match and lost 5–6 in the second, with an aggregate win total of 11 games to Karpov's 6. Recognising this, FIDE president Euwe proposed that the champion should only have a rematch in the event he lost 5–6 but Karpov rejected this proposal.<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 418–19.</ref>
			The ] warned Fischer before the start of the match that his participation was illegal, that it would violate President ]'s {{Executive Order|12810}} imposing ] ] sanctions against engaging in economic activities in Yugoslavia.<ref>], pp. 243–44.</ref> In response, during the first scheduled press conference on September 1, 1992, in front of the international press, Fischer spat on the US order, saying "this is my reply".<ref>{{cite news |author=Roger Cohen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/02/arts/bobby-fischer-ends-silence-with-rancor.html |title=Bobby Fischer Ends Silence With Rancor |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 2, 1992 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> His violation of the order led US Federal officials to initiate a warrant for his arrest upon completion of the match,<ref>{{cite news |author=Stephen Labaton|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/16/world/fischer-is-indicted-over-chess-match.html |title=FISCHER IS INDICTED OVER CHESS MATCH |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 16, 1992 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> citing, in pertinent part, "] ] §§1701, 1702, and 1705 and Executive Order 12810".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.chessbase.com/portals/4/files/images2/2004/fischer10.pdf |title=Indictment |publisher=U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Federal Circuit) |date=December 15, 1992 |access-date=January 28, 2014|via=chessbase.com}}</ref><ref>], p. 255. "On December 15, 1992, a single count indictment in federal court in Washington, D.C., was handed down by a grand jury against Bobby Fischer for violating economic sanctions, through an executive order issued by President George Bush. A letter to that effect was sent to Bobby in Belgrade, and upon announcement of the indictment, federal officials issued a warrant for his arrest."</ref>
	In a letter to Larry Evans, published in '']'' in November 1974, Fischer claimed the usual system (24 games with the first player to get 12½ points winning, or the champion retaining his title in the event of a 12–12 tie) encouraged the player in the lead to draw games, which he regarded as bad for chess. Not counting draws would be "an accurate test of who is the world's best player".<ref>Donaldson & Tangborn 1999, p. 159.</ref> Former U.S. Champion ], who was in contact with Fischer during the negotiations with FIDE, claimed that Fischer wanted a long match to be able to play himself into shape after a three-year layoff.<ref>Denker & Parr 1995, pp. 110–11.</ref>
			Before the rematch against Spassky, Fischer had won a training match against Svetozar Gligorić in Sveti Stefan with six wins, one loss, and three draws.<ref>Edward Winter. "", ''Chess Notes''</ref>
	Due to the continued efforts of U.S. Chess Association officials,<ref>Mednis 1997, p. 282.</ref> a special FIDE Congress was held in March 1975 in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands in which it was accepted that the match should be of unlimited duration, but the 9–9 clause was once again rejected, by a narrow margin of 35 votes to 32.<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 414–16.</ref> FIDE set a deadline of April 1, 1975, for Fischer and Karpov to confirm their participation in the match. No reply was received from Fischer by April 3 and Karpov officially became World Champion by default.<ref>Kasparov 2004, p. 473.</ref> In his 1991 autobiography, Karpov expressed profound regret that the match did not take place, and claimed that the lost opportunity to challenge Fischer held back his own chess development. Karpov met with Fischer several times after 1975, in friendly but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to arrange a match.<ref>Karpov, Anatoly. ''Karpov on Karpov: Memoirs of a Chess World Champion''. Atheneum 1991.</ref>
			==Later life and death==
	Brian Carney opined in '']'' that Fischer's victory over Spassky in 1972 left him nothing to prove, except that perhaps someone could someday beat him, and he was not interested in the risk of losing. And that Fischer's refusal to recognize peers also allowed his paranoia to flower: "The world championship he won ... validated his view of himself as a chess player, but it also insulated him from the humanizing influences of the world around him. He descended into what can only be considered a kind of madness."<ref>"Victim of His Own Success: The Tragedy of Bobby Fischer", ''Wall Street Journal'', January 22, 2008, p. D8.</ref>
			===Life as an émigré===
	==Sudden obscurity==
			After the 1992 match with Spassky, Fischer, now a fugitive, slid back into relative obscurity, taking up residence in ], Hungary, and allegedly having a relationship with young Hungarian chess master Zita Rajcsányi.<ref name="chun_atlantic" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Daniszewski, John |date=September 4, 1992 |title=Fischer's 19&nbsp;year-old companion shares chess limelight |newspaper=] |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920904&slug=1511077 |access-date=November 12, 2011}}</ref> Fischer stated that standard chess was stale and that he now played blitz games of ]s, such as ]. He visited the Polgár family in Budapest and analyzed many games with ], ], and ].<ref>], pp. 65, 106–09.</ref><ref>], pp. 255–62.</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |title=Sofia Polgar discussing Bobby Fischer |via=YouTube |medium=video |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpHyqg-gM-s |access-date=November 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727061618/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpHyqg-gM-s |archive-date=July 27, 2013}}</ref> In 1998 and 1999, he also stayed at the house of young Hungarian grandmaster ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Leko talks about Bobby Fischer staying at his home |date=April 8, 2018 |via=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX5SioDLPbc |access-date=April 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/eX5SioDLPbc |archive-date=October 28, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
	After the World Championship in 1972, Fischer virtually retired from chess: he did not play a competitive game in public for nearly 20 years.<ref>Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 22.</ref> In 1977, he played three games in ] against the ] ] computer program, winning all of them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bobby-fischer.net/Bobby_Fischer_Biography.html |title=Bobby Fischer Biography |last=Ayoub |first=Chuck |date=2003–2008 |publisher=Chuck Ayoub |accessdate=January 1, 2009}}</ref>
			From 2000 to 2002, Fischer lived in ] in the Philippines, residing in the same compound as the Filipino grandmaster ], a close friend who had acted as his {{chessgloss|second}} during his 1992 match with Spassky.<ref name=pdi>{{cite news |author=Cabreza, Vincent |date=January 19, 2008 |title=Fischer has a Pinoy heir born in Baguio – friends |newspaper=] |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080119-113499/Fischer-has-a-Pinoy-heir-born-in-Baguio----friends |access-date=January 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222093201/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080119-113499/Fischer-has-a-Pinoy-heir-born-in-Baguio----friends |archive-date=February 22, 2008}}</ref> Torre introduced Fischer to a 22&nbsp;year-old woman named Marilyn Young.{{efn| Marilyn Young's name was written behind a photograph dated December 14, 2000, sent to her by Fischer.<ref name=chessbase_fischerchild/>}} On May 21, 2001, Marilyn Young gave birth to a daughter named Jinky Young, and claimed that Fischer was the child's father,<ref name=pdi_filheirs>{{cite news |author=Ochoa, Francis |title=Fischer's Filipino heirs going after estate |newspaper=] |date=February 7, 2008 |url=http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20080207-117275/Fischers-Filipino-heirs-going-after-estate |access-date=January 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625170210/http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20080207-117275/Fischers-Filipino-heirs-going-after-estate |archive-date=June 25, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bobby Fischer's Pinay heir may get settlement |website=GMANews.tv |date=February 26, 2008 |url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/82348/Bobby-Fischers-Pinay-heir-may-get-settlement |access-date=January 3, 2010}}</ref> a claim ultimately disproven by DNA after Fischer's death.<ref name=ReutersNotDaughter>{{cite news |title=DNA tests on chess champion's corpse exclude paternity |date=August 17, 2010 |work=] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iceland-fischer-idUSTRE67G4TK20100817 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145820/http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/17/us-iceland-fischer-idUSTRE67G4TK20100817 |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name=CNNnotDaughter>{{cite news |title=DNA results settle Bobby Fischer paternity case |website=CNN |date=August 18, 2010 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/18/iceland.bobby.fischer/index.html?hpt=T2 |access-date=November 12, 2011}}</ref>
	On May 26, 1981, a police patrolman arrested Fischer while he was walking in Pasadena, saying that he matched the description of a man who had just committed a bank robbery in that area.<ref>Fischer 1982, p. 1.</ref> Fischer stated that he was slightly injured during the arrest.<ref>Fischer 1982, p. 2.</ref> He was then held for two days and—according to Fischer—was subjected to assault and various other types of serious mistreatment during that time.<ref>Fischer 1982, pp. 3–14.</ref> He was then released on $1000 bail.<ref>Fischer 1982, pp. 10–12.</ref> After being released, Fischer published a 14-page pamphlet detailing his alleged experiences and saying that his arrest had been "a frame up and set up".<ref>Fischer 1982, p. 14.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://bobbyfischer.net/bobby13.html |title=''I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!'' |year=1982 |publisher=Bobby Fischer}}</ref><ref name="chun_atlantic">Chun, Rene. . The Atlantic. December 2002.</ref><ref name="chun_goddeschess">Chun, Rene. . GoddessChess.com. (backup copy)</ref>
			===Comments on September 11 attacks===
	In 1981, Bobby Fischer stayed at the home of grandmaster ], where he beat Biyiasas 17 straight speed games before Biyiasas finally surrendered. "He was too good," Biyiasas says."<ref name="chun_atlantic"/><ref name="chun_goddeschess"/> In an interview with ''Sports Illustrated'' reporter William Nack, Biyiasas elaborated on his seventeen games with Fischer:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119708/11/index.htm |title=Bobby Fischer |publisher=Sports Illustrated |date=July 29, 1985 |accessdate=2013-09-03 |first=William |last=Nack}}</ref><blockquote>He was too good. There was no use in playing him. It wasn't interesting. I was getting beaten, and it wasn't clear to me why. It wasn't like I made this mistake or that mistake. It was like I was being gradually outplayed, from the start. He wasn't taking any time to think. The most depressing thing about it is that I wasn't even getting out of the middle game to an endgame. I don't ever remember an endgame. He honestly believes there is no one for him to play, no one worthy of him. I played him, and I can attest to that. It's not interesting.</blockquote>
			Shortly after midnight on September 12, 2001, Philippines local time (approximately four hours after the ] in the US), Fischer was interviewed live by Pablo Mercado on the ] station of the ] network. Fischer stated that he was happy that the attacks had happened, while expressing his view on United States and Israeli ], saying, "I applaud the act. Look, nobody gets&nbsp;... that the US and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians&nbsp;... for years."<ref name="Sunday_Telegraph">{{cite news|author=David Bamber|author2=Chris Hastings|name-list-style=amp|title=Bobby Fischer speaks out to applaud Trade Centre attacks|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1364118/Bobby-Fischer-speaks-out-to-applaud-Trade-Centre-attacks.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1364118/Bobby-Fischer-speaks-out-to-applaud-Trade-Centre-attacks.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph|date=December 2, 2001|page=17}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Harper's_Magazine">{{cite magazine| title=The Bin Laden defense; Diatribe; Bobby Fischer speaks out in favor of 9/11 attacks; Brief Article; Transcript| magazine=Harper's Magazine |volume=304 |issue=1822 |page=27 |date=March 1, 2002 |id=0017-789X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/finding-bobby-fischer-baffling-moves-chess-genius-article-1.343679 |title=Finding Bobby Fischer: The baffling moves of a chess genius |work=New York Daily News |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=March 30, 2022}}</ref><ref>], p. 122.</ref> He also said, "The horrible behavior that the US is committing all over the world&nbsp;... This just shows you, that what goes around, comes around, even for the United States."<ref name="Sunday_Telegraph"/><ref name="Harper's_Magazine"/> Fischer also referenced the movie '']'' (1964) and said he hoped for a ] in the US: " the country will be taken over by the military—they'll close down all the synagogues, arrest all the Jews, execute hundreds of thousands of Jewish ringleaders."<ref name="Weber">{{cite news |author=Bruce Weber|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/crosswords/chess/19fischer.html |title=Bobby Fischer, Troubled Genius of Chess, Dies at 64 |work=The New York Times |date=January 19, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name="BöhmJongkind">Fischer's radio broadcasts show that he was "out of his mind&nbsp;... a victim of his own mental illness". ], pp. 66–67.</ref> In response to Fischer's statements about 9/11, the ] passed a motion to cancel his right to membership in the organization.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://archive.uschess.org/docs/pdf/15EBactionsvolex02.PDF |title= Executive Board Actions (EB 02-40) |publisher= USCF |year= 2002 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140225230222/http://archive.uschess.org/docs/pdf/15EBactionsvolex02.PDF |archive-date= February 25, 2014}}</ref> Fischer's right to become a member was reinstated in 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.uschess.org/docs/gov/reports/2007.02.03-04_EB_Meeting_-_Unofficial_Summary.pdf |title=Unofficial summary of the February, 2007, meeting of the USCF Executive Board |access-date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>
			===Detention in Japan===
	==1992 Spassky rematch==
			Fischer lived for a time in Japan. On July 13, 2004, acting in response to a letter from US officials, Japanese immigration authorities arrested him at ] near Tokyo for allegedly using a revoked ] while trying to board a ] flight to ] in ], Philippines.<ref name=TimeKingsGambit>{{cite magazine |author= Jim Frederick |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,686101,00.html |title= King's Gambit |magazine= TIME |date= August 23, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708163358/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,686101,00.html |access-date= July 5, 2010|url-status= dead |archive-date=July 8, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/will-fischer-be-extradited- |title=Will Fischer be extradited? |publisher=chessbase.com |date=July 19, 2004 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>], p. 2. " worry was that the U.S. government might finally have caught up with him. He'd violated State Department economic sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing a $5 million chess match against Boris Spassky in ], ], in 1992, and an arrest warrant had been issued at that time. If he went back to the United States, he'd have to stand trial, and the penalty, if he was convicted, would be anywhere from ten years in prison to $250,000 in fines, or both, plus possible forfeiture of his $3.5 million winnings."</ref> Fischer resisted arrest, and claimed to have sustained bruises, cuts and a broken tooth in the process.<ref name="mbl.is">{{cite web|url=http://mbl.is/mm/gagnasafn/grein.html?grein_id=811183|title=Fischer er jákvæður og skýr í hugsun|language=is}}</ref> At the time, Fischer had a passport (originally issued in 1997 and updated in 2003 to add more pages) that, according to US officials, had been revoked in November 2003 due to his outstanding arrest-warrant for the Yugoslavia sanctions violation.<ref name=TimeKingsGambit/> Despite the outstanding arrest-warrant in the US, Fischer said that he believed the passport was still valid.<ref>], pp. 281–82. "There were problems with the revocation of the passport, however. Fischer never received the notice and therefore couldn't appeal it, which according to law he had the right to do. The Justice Department claimed that the letter had been sent to the hotel in Bern (the location Bobby had given to the embassy) and was returned to them with no forwarding address appended. It was dated December 11, 2003, and when a faxed copy of the letter was ultimately examined, it didn't have an address for Fischer on it, the implication being that the embassy had never sent the letter to Bern."</ref> The authorities held Fischer at a custody center for 16 days before transferring him to another facility. Fischer said that his cell was windowless and he had not seen the light of day during that period, and that the staff had ignored his complaints about constant tobacco smoke in his cell.<ref name="mbl.is"/><ref>], p. 282. "Not knowing that his arrest was imminent, and believing that his passport was legal, on July 13, 2004, went to Narita Airport in Tokyo to board a plane bound for Manila. He was arrested and shackled in chains."</ref><ref>], pp. 282, 293. "...{{nbsp}}on July 13, 2004... was arrested{{nbsp}}..." "...{{nbsp}}on March 23, 2005, was released from his cell."</ref>
	After twenty years, Fischer emerged from isolation to play Spassky (then tied for 96th–102nd on the FIDE rating list) to a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" in 1992. This match took place in ] and ], ], in spite of a ] ] that included sanctions on ] events. Fischer demanded that the organizers bill the match as "The World Chess Championship", although Garry Kasparov was the recognized FIDE World Champion. Fischer insisted he was still the true World Champion, and that for all the games in the FIDE-sanctioned World Championship matches, involving Karpov, Korchnoi, and Kasparov, the outcomes had been pre-arranged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/92fs$$.htm|title=1992 Fischer – Spassky Rematch Highlights|last=Weeks|first=Mark|date=1997–2008|publisher=Mark Weeks|accessdate=January 1, 2009}}</ref> The purse for Fischer's rematch with Spassky was US$5&nbsp;million, with $3.35&nbsp;million of that to go to the winner.<ref>Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 8.</ref>
			Tokyo-based Canadian journalist and consultant John Bosnitch set up the "Committee to Free Bobby Fischer" after meeting Fischer at Narita Airport and offering to assist him.<ref>{{cite news |author= Hiroshi Suzuki|url= https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=amx21MqZzvxk |title= Bobby Fischer Renounces U.S. Citizenship, Seeks Refugee Status |publisher= Bloomberg |date= August 6, 2004 |access-date= August 2, 2010}}</ref> Boris Spassky wrote a letter to US President ], asking "For mercy, charity," and, if that was not possible, "to put in the same cell with Bobby Fischer" and "to give a chess set".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://en.chessbase.com/post/spaky-to-bush-arrest-me-|title=Spassky to Bush: Arrest me!|publisher=chessbase.com|date=August 10, 2004|access-date=October 7, 2015|quote=I would not like to defend or justify Bobby Fischer. He is what he is. I am asking only for one thing. For mercy, charity. If for some reason it is impossible, I would like to ask you the following: Please correct the mistake of President François Mitterrand in 1992. Bobby and myself committed the same crime. Put sanctions against me also. Arrest me. And put me in the same cell with Bobby Fischer. And give us a chess set.|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150928045413/http://en.chessbase.com/post/spaky-to-bush-arrest-me-|archive-date=September 28, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was reported that Fischer and ], the President of the Japanese Chess Association (with whom he had reportedly been living since 2000) wanted to become legally married.<ref name=TimeKingsGambit/> It was also reported that Fischer had been living in the Philippines with Marilyn Young during the same period.<ref name=pdi/> Fischer applied for German citizenship, on the grounds that his father was German.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article438161.ece|title=Profile: Bobby Fischer: Endgame on the darker side of genius|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=July 18, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081013031848/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article438161.ece|archive-date=October 13, 2008}}</ref> Fischer stated that he wanted to ], and appealed to US Secretary of State ] to help him do so, though to no effect.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2004/08/17/national/fischers-next-moves-renounce-u-s-citizenship-and-marry-a-japanese/|title=Fischer's next moves: renounce U.S. citizenship and marry a Japanese|newspaper=The Japan Times Online|date=August 17, 2004|access-date=January 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1852|title=Fischer renounces US citizenship|publisher=chessbase.com|date=August 15, 2004|access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref> Japan's Justice Minister rejected Fischer's request for asylum and ordered his deportation.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,127262,00.html|title=Bobby Fischer's Deportation Appeal Rejected|agency=Associated Press|website=Fox News|date=July 28, 2004|access-date=February 19, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080414032720/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,127262,00.html|archive-date=April 14, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4370119.stm|title=Iceland grants Fischer passport|work=BBC News|date=March 21, 2005|access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{em|] wire story}}, March 23, 2005. " was picked up by limousine supplied by the Icelandic embassy, given his new Icelandic passport, and he and Miyoko, hand in hand, sped to Narita Airport." Quoted in ], p. 293.</ref>
	According to ] ]:<ref>{{cite book |last=Soltis
	|first=Andrew
	|authorlink=Andrew Soltis
	|title=Bobby Fischer Rediscovered
	|year=2003
	|publisher=]
	|location=London
	|page=280}}</ref> <blockquote> were of a fairly high quality, particularly when compared with Kasparov's championship matches of 1993, 1995 and 2000, for example. Yet the games also reminded many fans of how out of place Fischer was in 1992. He was still playing the openings of a previous generation. He was, moreover, the only strong player in the world who didn't trust computers and wasn't surrounded by seconds and supplicants.</blockquote>
			While in prison, Bobby Fischer legally married Miyoko Watai on September 6, 2004.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/world/europe/05chess.html | work=The New York Times | title=Iceland Court Hands Bobby Fischer Estate to Japanese Claimant | date=March 4, 2011 | access-date=January 24, 2021 | archive-date=April 2, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402215259/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/world/europe/05chess.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
	Fischer won the match, 10 wins to 5 losses, with 15 draws.<ref>Müller 2009, p. 382.</ref> Kasparov reportedly said, "Bobby is playing OK, nothing more. Maybe his strength is 2600 or 2650. It wouldn't be close between us."<ref>Waitzkin 1993, p. 298.</ref> Fischer never played any competitive games afterwards.<ref>{{chessgames player|id=19233}}</ref>
			===Citizenship and residency in Iceland===
	Fischer and Spassky gave a total of ten press conferences during the match.<ref>The tenth press conference was not transcribed. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 272. The content of the other nine press conferences can be found, in full, in ''id.'' at pp. 13, 15–21, 53–57, 86–90, 114–18, 149–54, 170–75, 208–14, 227–31, 256–60.</ref> ] wrote, "After September 23 , I threw most of what I'd ever read about Bobby out of my head. Sheer garbage. Bobby is the most misunderstood, misquoted celebrity walking the face of the earth."<ref>Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 291.</ref><ref>Winter 1993.</ref> Seirawan wrote that Fischer is not camera shy, "smiles and laughs easily", and "is a wholly enjoyable conversationalist. A fine wit, he is a very funny man."<ref>Seirawan & Stefanovic, pp. 85, 96, 303.</ref>
			Seeking ways to evade deportation to the United States, Fischer wrote a letter to the government of Iceland in early January 2005, requesting Icelandic citizenship.<ref>], pp. 288–89. "Honorable Members of Althingi: I … sincerely thank the Icelandic nation for the friendship it has shown to me ever since I came to your country many years ago and competed for the title of World Champion in chess… For the past six months I have been forcibly and illegally imprisoned in Japan… During this period my health has steadily deteriorated… I would therefore like to formally request that Althingi grant me Icelandic citizenship so that I may actually enjoy the offer of residence in Iceland that your Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. David Oddsson had so graciously extended to me. Most Respectfully, BOBBY FISCHER"</ref> Sympathetic to Fischer's plight, but reluctant to grant him the full benefits of citizenship, Icelandic authorities granted him an ]. When this proved insufficient for the Japanese authorities, the ] (the Icelandic Parliament), at the behest of ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timarit.is/files/8300516.pdf#navpanes=1&view=FitH&search=%22Lombardy%22 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6ct5zkpdh?url=http://timarit.is/files/8300516.pdf#navpanes=1&view=FitH&search=%22Lombardy%22 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2015 |title=Fangavist fáránleikans |publisher=Morgunbladid |date=February 2, 2005 |access-date=October 7, 2015 |language=is }}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author= Helgi Ólafsson|author-link=Helgi Ólafsson
			|title=Bobby Fischer Comes Home: The Final Years in Iceland, a Saga of Friendship and Lost Illusions
			|year=2014|page=67
			|publisher=New in Chess
			|asin=B00IEOZ2N4
			}}</ref> agreed unanimously to grant Fischer ] in late March for humanitarian reasons, as they felt he was being unjustly treated by the United States and Japanese governments<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2275|title=Bobby Fischer: ich bin ein Icelander!|publisher=chessbase.com|date=March 21, 2005}}</ref><ref>], p. 293. "The RJF members called virtually every member of parliament to lobby for citizenship: full, {{em|permanent}} citizenship... an Extraordinary Session of Parliament was called for Saturday, Match 21, 2005. Three rounds of discussion took place in the space of twelve minutes, and questions were posed regarding the extent of the emergency. The answers were succinct and forthcoming: Bobby Fischer's improper incarceration was a violation of his rights; all he was really guilty of was moving some wooden pieces across a chessboard; he'd been a friend of Iceland and had a historical connection to it, and now he needed the country's help". Act Respecting the Granting of Citizenship, no. 16/2005.</ref> and also in recognition of his 1972 match, which had "put Iceland on the map".<ref>{{cite news|author=Laura Smith-Spark|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4102367.stm |title=Fischer 'put Iceland on the map' |publisher=BBC |date=March 23, 2005 |access-date=September 13, 2008}}</ref>
			After arriving in ] in late March, Fischer gave a press conference.<ref>{{cite web|author=Doug Kennedy|date=May 9, 2005|title=Chess legend still intrigues people|url=http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_332337.html|website=PittsburghLIVE|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202092534/http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_332337.html|archive-date=February 2, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bobby Fischer gestures is surrounded by members of the press while speaking to the media for the first time since landing in his hew home of Reykjavik Iceland Friday March 25th 2005|url=http://www.echecs-photos.be/BobbyFischer-photos/slides/2005%20Bobby%20Fischer%20gestures%20is%20surrounded%20by%20members%20of%20the%20press%20while%20speaking%20to%20the%20media%20for%20the%20first%20time%20since%20landing%20in%20his%20hew%20home%20of%20Reykjavik%20Iceland%20Friday%20March%2025%202005.html|publisher=echecs-photos.be|date=March 11, 2008|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010084104/http://www.echecs-photos.be/BobbyFischer-photos/slides/2005%20Bobby%20Fischer%20gestures%20is%20surrounded%20by%20members%20of%20the%20press%20while%20speaking%20to%20the%20media%20for%20the%20first%20time%20since%20landing%20in%20his%20hew%20home%20of%20Reykjavik%20Iceland%20Friday%20March%2025%202005.html|archive-date=October 10, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> He lived a reclusive life in Iceland, avoiding entrepreneurs and others who approached him with various proposals.<ref name="Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland">{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4392|title=Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland|publisher=chessbase.com|date=January 18, 2008|access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref>
	The ] had warned Fischer beforehand that his participation was illegal, as it violated President ]'s {{Executive Order|12810}} that implemented ] ] ] sanctions against engaging in economic activities in Yugoslavia.<ref>. anusha.com</ref> In response, Fischer called a conference and, in front of the international press, spat on the U.S. order forbidding him to play, announcing "This is my reply." Following the match, the Department obtained an ] against him. Fischer remained wanted by the United States government for the rest of his life and never returned to the U.S.
			Fischer moved into an apartment in the same building as his close friend and spokesman, Garðar Sverrisson.<ref>], p. 305.</ref> Garðar's wife, Kristín Þórarinsdóttir, was a nurse and later looked after Fischer as a terminally ill patient. Garðar's two children, especially his son, were very close to Fischer.<ref>], p. 319.</ref> Fischer also developed a friendship with Magnús Skúlason, a psychiatrist and chess player who later recalled long discussions with him on a wide variety of subjects.<ref name=suntimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3751254.ece|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080517070929/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3751254.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 17, 2008|title=Bobby Fischer's final manoeuvre|newspaper=The Sunday Times|date=April 20, 2008}}</ref>
	==Life as an émigré==
	After the match with Spassky in 1992, Fischer again slid into relative obscurity. Now a fugitive from the American legal system, he intensified his vitriolic rhetoric against the U.S. For some of these years Fischer lived in ], Hungary, allegedly having a relationship with young Hungarian chess master ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200212/chun |title=Bobby Fischer's Pathetic Endgame |publisher=Theatlantic.com |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Daniszewski |first=John |url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920904&slug=1511077 |title=Fischer's 19-Year-Old Companion Shares Chess Limelight |publisher=Community.seattletimes.nwsource.com |date=1992-09-04 |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref> He claimed to find standard chess stale and he played ]s such as ] blitz games. He visited with the Polgár family in Budapest and analyzed many games with ], ], and ].<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 65, 106–09.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpHyqg-gM-s |title=Sofia Polgar discussing Bobby Fischer |publisher=Youtube.com |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref>
			On December 10, 2006, Fischer telephoned an Icelandic television station that had just broadcast a chess game in which one player blundered such that his opponent was able to mate on the next move. Although he tried to change his mind upon seeing the mate, the ] forced him to play the blunder. Fischer pointed out a winning ] that could have been played instead of the blunder or the other attempted move, but had been missed by the player and commentators.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3546 |title=Bobby Fischer and the missed combination |publisher=chessbase.com |date=December 17, 2006 |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref>
	From 2000 to 2002, Fischer lived in ] in the Philippines.<ref name=pdi/> He resided in the same compound as the Filipino grandmaster ], a close friend who acted as his ] during his 1992 match with Spassky.<ref name=pdi>{{cite web|last=Cabreza|first=Vincent|title=Fischer has a Pinoy heir born in Baguio – friends |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080119-113499/Fischer-has-a-Pinoy-heir-born-in-Baguio----friends| publisher=] |date=January 19, 2008 |accessdate=January 20, 2008}}</ref> Torre introduced Fischer to a 22-year-old woman named Marilyn Young.<ref name=chessbase_marilynphoto>Marilyn Young's name was written behind a photograph dated December 14, 2000 sent to her by Fischer. The photograph is displayed on the ChessBase website. See also the following reference: {{cite web|title=Fischer's daughter Jinky files claim to his estate|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5905|publisher=ChessBase.com|date=November 11, 2009|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> On May 21, 2001 Marilyn Young gave birth to a daughter named Jinky Young.<ref name=pdi_filheirs>{{cite web|url=http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20080207-117275/Fischers-Filipino-heirs-going-after-estate|title=Fischer's Filipino heirs going after estate|last=Ochoa|first=Francis|publisher=]|date=February 7, 2008|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name=gma_pinayheir>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/82348/Bobby-Fischers-Pinay-heir-may-get-settlement|title=Bobby Fischer's Pinay heir may get settlement|publisher=GMANews.tv|date=February 26, 2008|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> Her mother claimed that Jinky was Fischer's daughter, citing as evidence Jinky's birth and baptismal certificates, photographs, a transaction record dated December 4, 2007 of a bank remittance by Fischer to Jinky, and Jinky's DNA through her blood samples.<ref name=pdi_filheirs /><ref name=mb_lovechild>{{cite web|url=http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/232529/fischer-s-pinay-love-child-iceland-claim-inheritance|title=Fischer's Pinay love child in Iceland to claim inheritance|publisher=Manila Bulletin|date=December 4, 2009|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name=chessbase_fischerchild>{{cite web|title=Fischer's daughter Jinky files claim to his estate|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5905|publisher=ChessBase.com|date=November 11, 2009|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> On the other hand, Magnús Skúlason, a friend of Fischer's, said that he was certain that Fischer was not the girl's father.<ref name="Four parties make claims">{{cite web|url=http://www.ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item202726/|title=4 gera kröfu í dánarbú Fischers (Four parties make claims)|publisher=RÚV|date=April 22, 2008|accessdate=January 3, 2010|archiveurl=http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20080423000000/www.ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item202726/|archivedate=April 23, 2008}}{{dead link|date=June 2012}} (apparent broken link)</ref>
			In 2005, some of Fischer's belongings were auctioned on ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Bobby Fischer's life for sale – on eBay|date=December 13, 2005|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/bobby-fischer-s-life-for-sale-on-ebay|publisher=chessbase.com|access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref> Fischer claimed, in 2006, that the belongings sold in the US without his permission were worth "hundreds of millions of dollars; even billions of dollars."<ref name="Fischer on Icelandic Radio"/><ref>], p. 118.</ref> In the same interview, Fischer also said that ] Bank had closed an account of his and liquidated his assets against his wishes, transferring the funds to a bank in Iceland.<ref name="Interview on Útvarp Saga"/>
	On August 17, 2010 it was reported that a ] revealed that Jinky Young is not the daughter of Bobby Fischer.<ref name=ReutersNotDaughter/><ref name=CNNnotDaughter>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/18/iceland.bobby.fischer/index.html?hpt=T2 |title=DNA results settle Bobby Fischer paternity case |publisher=Cnn.com |date=2010-08-18 |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref>
			===Death, estate dispute, and exhumation===
	In 2001, ] wrote in '']'' chess column that he believed he had been secretly playing Fischer on the online chess platform ] in speed chess matches.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1533946.stm</ref> Short later retracted the claim after Fischer himself denied ownership of the account.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/?xml=/news/2001/09/09/nchess09.xml</ref>
			{{multiple image
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			| caption1 = Fischer is buried at the Church of ].
			| image2 = Bobby Fischer grave.JPG
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			| caption2 = Fischer's grave
			}}
			On January 17, 2008, Fischer died at age 64 from degenerative ] at the ] (National University Hospital of Iceland) in Reykjavík.<ref>Death:
	===Anti-semitic statements===
			* {{cite news |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=3202460 |title=Fischer, outspoken ex-chess champion, dies of kidney failure|agency=Associated Press|date=January 18, 2008|access-date=May 22, 2018}}
	Fischer, whose mother was ]ish,<ref name="la-times"/><ref name=NicholasBenson/><ref name=LifeGame/><ref name="Fischer-Harper"/> and whose possible biological father was also Jewish,<ref name="la-times"/> made numerous anti-Jewish statements and professed a general hatred for Jews since at least the early 1960s.<ref name="Fischer-Harper" /><ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 30, 44.</ref> ] wrote that at the time of Bled 1961, "He idolized ] and read everything about him that he could lay his hands on. He also championed a brand of anti-semitism that could only be thought up by a mind completely cut off from reality."<ref name="Donner2006p.228"/> Donner writes that he took Fischer to a war museum, which "left a great impression, since he is not an evil person, and afterwards he was more restrained in his remarks—to me, at least."<ref name="Donner2006p.228"/>
			* {{cite news |author=David Batty |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/18/sport.davidbatty |title=Chess champion Bobby Fischer dies|newspaper=The Guardian|date=January 18, 2008|access-date=January 28, 2014}}
			* {{cite web |url=http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/frett.html?nid=1315727 |title=Dánarorsök Fischers var nýrnabilun |website=mbl.is |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |language=is}}
			* {{cite web |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hpjkKfonmIFJxdSyG535aNfW6rnQ |title=Chess genius Bobby Fischer, from American hero to paranoid fugitive |publisher=AFP |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002203233/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hpjkKfonmIFJxdSyG535aNfW6rnQ |archive-date=October 2, 2012 }}
			* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3900793.stm |title=Obituary: Bobby Fischer |work=BBC News |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014 }}
			* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7195840.stm |title=Chess legend Fischer dies at 64 |work=BBC News |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014 }}
			* {{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3211295.ece |title=Bobby Fischer: Obituary |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=January 19, 2008 }}
			* {{cite news |author=Bruce Weber|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/crosswords/chess/19fischer.html |title=Bobby Fischer, Chess Master, Dies at 64 |newspaper=The New York Times |date = January 19, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>], p. 317.</ref> He originally had a ] but refused surgery or medication.<ref>], pp. 316–17. "Bobby started to have urinary problems and thought it might simply be caused by an enlarged ] gland, at first denying that anything was seriously wrong with him. His lungs were also bothering him and he was having difficulty breathing. Since he had a lifelong distrust of doctors, he tolerated the discomfort until late September 2007, when his pain and inability to urinate became excruciating. He went to a doctor... he had a blocked urinary tract... his kidneys... were not functioning properly... Bobby refused to take any medicine, and the idea of being hooked up to a ] machine to cleanse his blood every few days for the rest of his life was out of the question."</ref><ref>], p. 317. "'It's possible that Bobby was just giving up, letting go of his life, beginning a slow form of suicide'. Interview of Pal Benko by author, summer 2008, New York."</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Michael Dirda|title=A chess master who defeated himself |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 10, 2011}}</ref> Magnús Skúlason reported Fischer's response to leg massages: "Nothing soothes as much as the human touch."<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 318">], p. 318.</ref>
			On January 21, Fischer was buried in the small Christian cemetery of ] church, outside the town of ], {{convert|60|km}} southeast of Reykjavík, after a Catholic funeral presided over by Fr. Jakob Rolland of the diocese of Reykjavík. In accordance with Fischer's wishes, only ], Garðar Sverrisson, and Garðar's family were present.<ref>Burial:
	From the 1980s and thereafter, however, Fischer's comments about Jews were a major theme in his public and private remarks.<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 41, 45, 61, 66, 90, 92, 95, 101, 107, 117–20.</ref> He openly ], and called the United States "a farce controlled by dirty, hook-nosed, ] Jew bastards".<ref>Parr, Larry: "Is Bobby Fischer Anti-Semitic?", ''Chess News'', May 2001.</ref>
			* {{cite web |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/bobby-fischer-buried-in-iceland |title=Bobby Fischer buried in Iceland |publisher=chessbase.com|date=January 22, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}
			* {{cite web |url=http://ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item187254/|title=Útför Fischers í kyrrþey|trans-title=Fischer's funeral is quiet|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20080123153750/http://ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item187254/|archive-date=January 23, 2008|publisher=RÚV|date=January 21, 2008|access-date=January 29, 2014|language=is}}
			* {{cite web |url=http://www.visir.is/article/20080119/FRETTIR01/80119030 |title=Unnustan ræður hvílustað Bobbys |publisher=visir.is |date=January 19, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014|language=is}}.
			* {{cite news |author=Kristin Arna Bragadottir|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSL2112613820080121 |title=Chess champion Bobby Fischer buried in Iceland |date=January 21, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |work=Reuters}}
			* {{cite web |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/bobby-fischer-his-final-weeks |title=Bobby Fischer – his final weeks |publisher=chessbase.com |date=January 25, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}
			* {{cite news |author= Neil Tweedie |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3635401/Bobby-Fischers-final-bizarre-act.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3635401/Bobby-Fischers-final-bizarre-act.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= Bobby Fischer's final bizarre act |work= The Telegraph |date= January 25, 2008 |access-date= May 12, 2016 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
			Fischer's estate was estimated at 140 million ] (about £1 million, or US$2 million). It quickly became the object of a legal battle involving claims from four parties, with Miyoko Watai ultimately inheriting what remained of Fischer's estate after government claims. The four parties were Fischer's Japanese wife, Miyoko Watai; his alleged Filipino daughter, Jinky Young, and her mother, Marilyn Young; his two American nephews, Alexander and Nicholas Targ, and their father, ]; and the US government (claiming unpaid taxes).<ref name="Four parties make claims"/><ref name=suntimes/><ref>{{cite news|author=Andy Soltis|author-link=Andrew Soltis|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/fi_cher_family_feud_dM7SQvHd1SmrWSYdxPq0EO |title=Fi$cher Family Feud|work=]|date=November 15, 2009|access-date=November 16, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Dylan Loeb McClain|url=http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/bobby-fischer-is-exhumed/ |title=Bobby Fischer Is Exhumed |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 5, 2010 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>
	Although Fischer described his mother as Jewish in an article he wrote as a teenager,<ref name="Fischer-Harper" /> he later denied his Jewish ancestry.<ref name="la-times" /> In 1984, Fischer denied being a Jew in a letter to the '']'', insisting that they remove his name and accusing them of "fraudulently misrepresenting me to be a Jew to promote your religion".<ref>Nathaniel Popper, , ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', July 23, 2004.</ref>
			Marilyn Young claimed that Jinky was Fischer's daughter, citing as evidence Jinky's birth and baptismal certificates, photographs, a transaction record dated December 4, 2007, of a bank remittance by Fischer to Jinky, and Jinky's DNA through her blood samples.<ref name=pdi_filheirs /><ref name=mb_lovechild>{{cite news |url=http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2009/12/jinky-in-iceland.html |title=Fischer's Pinay love child in Iceland to claim inheritance |newspaper=Manila Bulletin |date=December 4, 2009 |access-date=January 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name=chessbase_fischerchild>{{cite web|title=Fischer's daughter Jinky files claim to his estate |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5905 |publisher=chessbase.com |date=November 11, 2009 |access-date=January 3, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207054215/https://en.chessbase.com/post/fischer-s-daughter-jinky-files-claim-to-his-estate|archive-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref> However, Magnús Skúlason, a friend of Fischer's, said that he was certain that Fischer was not the girl's father.<ref name="Four parties make claims">{{cite web|url=http://www.ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item202726/|title=4 gera kröfu í dánarbú Fischers|trans-title=4 claim Fischer's estate|publisher=RÚV|date=April 22, 2008|access-date=January 3, 2010|language=is|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20080423000000/www.ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item202726/|archive-date=April 23, 2008}}</ref> In addition, the validity of Miyoko Watai's marriage to Fischer was challenged.<ref name =ChessbaseTBE>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6227 |title=Fischer's remains to be exhumed? |publisher=chessbase.com |date=April 1, 2010 |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref><ref name=pdi_filheirs />
	Between 1999 and 2006, Fischer's primary means of communicating with the public was radio interviews. He participated in at least 34 such broadcasts, mostly with radio stations in the Philippines, but also in Hungary, Iceland, Colombia, and Russia. In 1999, he gave a radio call-in interview to a station in Budapest, Hungary, during which he described himself as the "victim of an ]". In another radio interview, Fischer said that it became clear to him in 1977, after reading ''The Secret World Government'' by ], that Jewish agencies were targeting him.<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 123.</ref> Fischer's sudden reemergence was apparently triggered when some of his belongings, which had been stored in a ] storage unit, were sold by the landlord who claimed it was in response to nonpayment of rent.<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 41, 65–66, 118–19, 121.</ref> In 2005, some of Fischer's belongings were auctioned on ]. In 2006, Fischer claimed that his belongings in the storage unit were worth millions of U.S. dollars.<ref> April 11, 2006</ref><ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 118.</ref>
			In June 2010, Iceland's supreme court ordered Fischer's remains exhumed so that a DNA sample could be obtained.<ref>{{cite news |author=Dylan Loeb McClain|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/world/europe/18briefs-Iceland.html |title=Iceland: Bobby Fischer's Estate Dispute |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 17, 2010 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/17/court-rules-bobby-fischers-body-can-be-exhumed/?hpt=T2 |title=Court rules Bobby Fischer's body can be exhumed |website=CNN |date=June 17, 2010 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |archive-date=August 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811064207/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/17/court-rules-bobby-fischers-body-can-be-exhumed/?hpt=T2 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
	Fischer's library contained anti-semitic and ] literature such as '']'', '']'', and ''The White Man's Bible'' and ''Nature's Eternal Religion'' by ], founder of the ].<ref>DeLucia 2009, pp. 160–62, 166. Chess historian ], in his review of DeLucia's book, calls it "ne of the most extraordinary of all chess books". Winter 2009.</ref><ref>Fischer wrote of ''Nature's Eternal Religion'' in a 1979 letter to Benko, "The book shows that Christianity itself is just a Jewish hoax and one more Jewish tool for their conquest of the world. ... Unfortunately the author is an extreme racist and this somewhat spoils the book." DeLucia 2007, p. 280.</ref> A notebook written by Fischer is filled with sentiments such as "8/24/99 Death to the Jews. Just kill the Motherfuckers!" and "12/13/99 It's time to start randomly killing Jews."<ref>DeLucia 2009, pp. 290, 292.</ref>
			In August it was announced that DNA testing had ruled out Fischer as the father of Jinky Young,<ref name="ReutersNotDaughter" /><ref name=CNNnotDaughter/> and the following March an Icelandic court ruled that Miyoko Watai had married Fischer on September 6, 2004,<ref name="icelandreview">{{cite web |url=http://icelandreview.com/news/2011/03/03/miyoko-watai-ruled-bobby-fischers-legal-heir|title=Miyoko Watai Ruled Bobby Fischer's Legal Heir |date=March 3, 2011 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |website=Iceland Review Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625094405/http://icelandreview.com/news/2011/03/03/miyoko-watai-ruled-bobby-fischers-legal-heir |archive-date=June 25, 2017 }}</ref> and was therefore entitled to his estate.<ref>{{cite news |author=Dylan Loeb McClain|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/world/europe/05chess.html |title=Iceland Court Hands Bobby Fischer Estate to Japanese Claimant |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 4, 2011 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Fischer's nephews were ordered to pay Watai's legal costs, amounting to ] 6.6 million (approximately $57,000).<ref name=icelandreview/>
			==Personal life==
	===Anti-American and anti-Israel statements===
	Shortly after midnight on September 12, 2001, Philippines local time (approximately four hours after the ] in the U.S.), Fischer was interviewed live by Pablo Mercado on the ] station of the ] network. Fischer stated that he was happy that the airliner attacks had happened, while expressing his view on U.S. and Israeli ], saying "I applaud the act. Look, nobody gets...no one...that the U.S. and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians for years".<ref name="Sunday_Telegraph">{{cite news| last = Bamber| first = David| coauthors = Chris Hastings| title = Bobby Fischer speaks out to applaud Trade Centre attacks| publisher = ]| date = December 2, 2001| page = 17}}</ref><ref name="Harper's_Magazine">{{Cite journal| title =The Bin Laden defense; Diatribe; Bobby Fischer speaks out in favor of 9/11 attacks; Brief Article; Transcript| journal =Harper's Magazine| volume =304| issue =1822| page =27| date =March 1, 2002| id =0017-789X}}</ref><ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 122.</ref> He also said "All the crimes the U.S. is committing all over the world ... This just shows, what goes around, that comes around even to the United States."<ref name="Sunday_Telegraph"/><ref name="Harper's_Magazine"/> Fischer also referenced the movie '']'' and said he hoped for a military ] in the U.S., " the country will be taken over by the military, they'll close down all the synagogues, arrest all the Jews, execute hundreds of thousands of Jewish ringleaders."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/crosswords/chess/19fischer.html |title=Bobby Fischer, Troubled Genius of Chess, Dies at 64 |publisher=The New York Times |date=January 19, 2008 |accessdate=2013-01-11 |first=Bruce |last=Weber}}</ref>
			===Religious affiliation===
	In response, on October 28, 2001, Fischer's right to membership in the ] was permanently revoked by a unanimous 7–0 vote of the USCF's Policy Board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uschess.org/docs/pdf/15EBactionsvolex02.PDF|title=''US Chess Federation decision''|format=PDF}}</ref>
			Although Fischer's ], Fischer rejected attempts to label him as Jewish.<ref name="la-times"/> In a 1962 interview with '']'', asked if he was Jewish, he replied that he was "part-Jewish" through his mother. In the same interview he was quoted as saying: "I read a book lately by ] and he says religion is just to dull the senses of the people. I agree."<ref>], p. 54.</ref><ref name="natures"/> In a 1984 letter to the editor of the '']'', Fischer demanded that they remove his name from future editions.<ref>], pp. 26–27.</ref>
			Fischer associated with the ] in the mid-1960s. The church prescribed ], and forbade work (and competitive chess) on Sabbath.<ref>], p. 15.</ref> According to his friend and colleague ], in 1968 Fischer felt philosophically that "the world was coming to an end" and he might as well make some money by publishing ''My 60 Memorable Games'';<ref name=brady>{{cite book |title=Bobby Fischer:Profile of a Prodigy |author=Brady, Frank |publisher=] |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-486-25925-3 |pages=151–153}}</ref> Fischer thought that the ] was coming soon.<ref>'']'', April 2009, p. 10.</ref>
	Fischer drafted a letter to ], which began:<ref>DeLucia 2009, p. 301. The letter is in draft form, and the book does not reflect whether Fischer ever finalized or sent it.</ref><ref>Winter 2009.</ref><blockquote>Dear Mr. Osama bin Laden allow me to introduce myself. I am Bobby Fischer, the World Chess Champion. First of all you should know that I share your hatred of the murderous bandit state of "Israel" and its chief backer the Jew-controlled U.S.A. also know {{sic}} as the "Jewnited States" or "Israel West." We also have something else in common: We are both fugitives from the U.S. "justice" system.</blockquote>
			During the mid-1970s, Fischer contributed significant money to the Worldwide Church of God.<ref>], pp. 301–02. "Where was Fischer? For several years, he lived in the bosom of the Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, where he was called 'a co-worker'. The church fed him, they gave him comfortable accommodation in Mocking Bird Lane, they even flew him around in a private jet. In return, Fischer handed over around a third ($61,200) of his Icelandic prize money."</ref> In 1972, one journalist stated that "Fischer is almost as serious about religion as he is about chess", and the champion credited his faith with greatly improving his chess.<ref name="darrach19720811">{{cite news |author=Brad Darrach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA40|title=Bobby is Not a Nasty Kid |newspaper=Life |page=40 |date=August 11, 1972 |access-date=March 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>], p. 143. "Bobby tried to live and practice his beliefs; he felt truly ''born again'', and he was applying the same sense of discipline and reverence to the Bible that he had all his life to chess. But eventually his religious commitments began tearing him apart. He couldn't spend ten or twelve hours a day studying chess and another six to eight hours on Bible studies "</ref> Yet prophecies by ] went unfulfilled.<ref>This led Fischer to believe that Armstrong was really a "false prophet". ], p. 212.</ref> Fischer eventually left the church in 1977, "accusing it of being 'Satanic', and vigorously attacking its methods and leadership".<ref name="Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 302">], p. 302.</ref>
	After Fischer's death, chess columnist Shelby Lyman said that "the anti-American stuff is explained by the fact that ... he spent the rest of his life fleeing the U.S., because he was afraid of being ]."<ref>{{cite episode| title = As It Happens Daily| episodelink = As It Happens| credits = ]| network = ]| airdate = 2008-01-18| minutes = 9:43–10:33| transcript = podcast| transcripturl = http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/asithappens_20080118_4495.mp3}}</ref> In ''Bobby Fischer: The Wandering King'', authors IM Hans Böhm and Kees Jongkind write that Fischer's radio broadcasts show that he was "out of his mind ... a victim of his own mental illness".<ref>Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 66–67.</ref>
			Towards the end of his life, Fischer became interested in Catholicism. He bought his friend Garðar Sverrisson a copy of "Basic Catechism: Creed, Sacraments, Morality, Prayer" so Garðar could explain the religion better to him.<ref name=brady2011>{{cite book |title=Endgame:Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall — From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness |author=Brady, Frank |publisher=] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-307-46390-6 |pages=315–316}}</ref> According to Garðar, Fischer talked to him about transformation of society through creation of harmony and that "the only hope for the world is through Catholicism."<ref name=brady2011/> Fischer was also known to have read a synopsis of ]'s works in the years leading up to his death. He requested a Catholic funeral, and this final service was presided over by Catholic priest Jakob Rolland.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bragadottir |first1=Kristin |title=Chess champion Bobby Fischer buried in Iceland |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chess-fischer/chess-champion-bobby-fischer-buried-in-iceland-idUSL2112613820080121 |website=Reuters |date=January 21, 2008 |access-date=July 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Chess champion Bobby Fischer requested Catholic burial in Iceland | url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/11557/chess-champion-bobby-fisher-requested-catholic-burial-in-iceland | website=Catholic News Agency | date=January 23, 2008 | access-date=July 20, 2021}}</ref>
	===Detention in Japan===
	Fischer lived for a time in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fischer.jp/|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080121125138/http://www.fischer.jp/|archivedate=2008-01-21 |title=Archive of official site |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2008-01-21 |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref> On July 13, 2004, acting in response to a letter from U.S. officials, he was arrested by Japanese immigration authorities at ] near Tokyo for allegedly using a revoked U.S. ] while trying to board a ] flight to ] in ], ].<ref name=TimeKingsGambit>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,686101,00.html|work=Time|title=King's Gambit|date=August 23, 2004|accessdate=July 5, 2010 | first=Jim | last=Frederick}}</ref> Fischer resisted arrest, claiming to have sustained bruises, cuts and a broken tooth in the process.<ref name="mbl.is">. (Icelandic-language).</ref> At the time, Fischer had a passport, originally issued in 1997 and updated in 2003 to add more pages, that according to U.S. officials had been revoked in November 2003 (due to his outstanding arrest warrant for Yugoslavia sanctions violation).<ref name=TimeKingsGambit/> Despite the outstanding arrest warrant in the U.S., Fischer said that he believed the passport was still valid.<ref>{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> The authorities held Fischer at a custody center for 16 days before transferring him to another facility. Fischer claimed that his cell was windowless and he had not seen the light of day during that period, and that the staff had ignored his complaints about constant tobacco smoke in his cell.<ref name="mbl.is"/>
			===Antisemitism===
	Tokyo-based Canadian journalist and consultant ] set up the "Committee to Free Bobby Fischer" after meeting Fischer at Narita Airport and offering to assist him.<ref>{{cite news|last=Suzuki |first=Hiroshi |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=amx21MqZzvxk&refer=us |title=Bobby Fischer Renounces U.S. Citizenship, Seeks Refugee Status |publisher=Bloomberg |date=August 6, 2004 |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref> It was reported that Fischer and ], the President of the ], with whom he had reportedly been living since 2000, wanted to become legally married.<ref name=TimeKingsGambit/> (It was also reported that Fischer had been living in the Philippines with Marilyn Young during the same period.<ref name=pdi/>) Fischer also applied for German citizenship on the grounds that his father was German.<ref>. Timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved on 2009-07-18.</ref> Fischer stated that he wanted to ], and appealed to ] ] to help him do so, though to no effect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20040817a3.html |title=Fischer's next moves: renounce U.S. citizenship and marry a Japanese &#124; The Japan Times Online |publisher=Search.japantimes.co.jp |date=August 17, 2004 |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fischer renounces US citizenship|publisher=Chessbase.com|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1852|accessdate=July 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2004/08/how_to_renounce_your_citizenship.html|first=Brendan|last=Koerner|title=How To Renounce Your Citizenship: Tips from Bobby Fischer|work=Slate|date=2004-08-09|accessdate=2012-07-03}}</ref> Japan's Justice Minister rejected Fischer's request for asylum and ordered him deported.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,127262,00.html |title=Bobby Fischer's Deportation Appeal Rejected |date=July 28, 2004|work=Fox News|publisher=Ctv.ca|accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref>
			{{Antisemitism sidebar}}
			Fischer made numerous ] statements and professed a general hatred for Jews from at least the early 1960s.<ref name="Fischer-Harper">{{cite web|title=Portrait of a Genius As a Young Chess Master|url=http://bobbyfischer.net/bobby04.html|access-date=January 21, 2008|work=Ralph Ginzburg's January 1962 interview, Harper's Magazine|archive-date=October 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023021334/http://bobbyfischer.net/bobby04.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>], pp. 30, 44.</ref> ] wrote that at the time of the ] 1961 chess tournament, "He idolized ] and read everything about him that he could lay his hands on. He also championed a brand of antisemitism that could only be thought up by a mind completely cut off from reality."<ref name="Donner 2006, p. 228"/> Donner took Fischer to a war museum, which "left a great impression, since is not an evil person, and afterwards he was more restrained in his remarks—to me, at least."<ref name="Donner 2006, p. 228"/>
			From the 1980s on, Fischer's comments about Jews were a major theme in his public and private remarks.<ref>], pp. 41, 45, 61, 66, 90, 92, 95, 101, 107, 117–20.</ref> He openly ], and called the United States "a farce controlled by dirty, ], ] Jew bastards".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldchessnetwork.com/English/chessNews/articles/2-3.php |title=Is Bobby Fischer Anti-Semitic? |date=May 8, 2001 |access-date=August 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050321201540/http://worldchessnetwork.com/English/chessNews/articles/2-3.php |archive-date=March 21, 2005 |first=Larry |last=Parr |website = The Chess Beat |publisher=World Chess Network}}</ref> Between 1999 and 2006, Fischer's primary means of communicating with the public was radio interviews. He participated in at least 34 such broadcasts, mostly with radio stations in the Philippines, but also in Hungary, Iceland, Colombia, and Russia. In 1999, he gave a radio call-in interview to a station in Budapest, Hungary, during which he described himself as the "victim of an ]". In another radio interview, Fischer said that it became clear to him in 1977, after reading ''The Secret World Government'' by ], that Jewish agencies were targeting him.<ref>], p. 123.</ref> Fischer's sudden reemergence was apparently triggered when some of his belongings, which had been stored in a ], storage unit, were sold by the landlord, who claimed it was in response to nonpayment of rent.<ref>], pp. 41, 65–66, 118–19, 121.</ref> Fischer was also upset that ] had liquidated his assets and closed his account without his permission. When asked who he thought was responsible for the actions UBS had taken, Fischer replied: "There's no question that the Jew-controlled United States is behind this—that's obvious."<ref name="Fischer on Icelandic Radio"> April 11, 2006.</ref><ref name="Interview on Útvarp Saga">{{cite AV media |people=Bobby Fischer and Sigurður Tómassyni |date=October 2006 |title=Interview on Útvarp Saga |language=en |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3468 |location=Iceland}}</ref> Fischer, at a press conference upon ], lashed out at ], the son of the late ], a sportswriter who had been a father figure to Fischer when growing up, calling his father a "Jewish snake" for doubting Fischer's sanity in his later writings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/666572-the-five-best-reporter-athlete-feuds-of-all-time|title = The Five Best Reporter-Athlete Feuds of All Time|website = ]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/03/sports/out-of-the-shadow-and-into-the-spotlight.html|title=Out of the Shadow and into the Spotlight|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 3, 2005|last1=Sandomir|first1=Richard}}</ref>
	===Asylum in Iceland===
	Seeking ways to evade deportation to the United States, Fischer wrote a letter to the government of Iceland in early January 2005 and asked for Icelandic citizenship. Sympathetic to Fischer's plight, but reluctant to grant him the full benefits of citizenship, Icelandic authorities granted him an ]. When this proved insufficient for the Japanese authorities, the ] agreed unanimously to grant Fischer full citizenship in late March for humanitarian reasons, as they felt he was being unjustly treated by the U.S. and Japanese governments,<ref>. March 21, 2005.</ref> and also in recognition of his 1972 match, which had "put Iceland on the map".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4102367.stm|title=Fischer 'put Iceland on the map' |last=Smith-Spark|first=Laura|date=March 23, 2005|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=September 13, 2008}}</ref>
			Fischer's library contained antisemitic and racist literature such as '']'', '']'', and ''The White Man's Bible'' and ''Nature's Eternal Religion'' by ], founder of the ].<ref>], pp. 160–62, 166.</ref><ref>{{cite web
	Shortly before his departure to Iceland, on March 23, 2005, Fischer and Bosnitch appeared briefly on the ], via a telephone link to the Tokyo airport. Bosnitch stated that Fischer would never play traditional chess again. Fischer denounced President Bush as a criminal and Japan as a ] of the United States.
			|author=Edward Winter
			|year=2009
			|title=''Chess Note'' 6189. ''Bobby Fischer Uncensored''
			|url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter59.html
			|publisher=chesshistory.com
			|access-date=January 20, 2014
			}}</ref><ref name="natures">Fischer wrote of ''Nature's Eternal Religion'' in a 1979 letter to Benko, {{"'}}The book shows that Christianity itself is just a Jewish hoax and one more Jewish tool for their conquest of the world.&nbsp;... Unfortunately the author is an extreme racist and this somewhat spoils the book.{{'"}} {{cite book
			|author=David DeLucia
			|title=David DeLucia's Chess Library: A Few Old Friends
			|year=2007 |orig-year=1997
			|edition=2nd|page=280}}</ref> A notebook written by Fischer contains sentiments such as "12/13/99 It's time to start randomly killing Jews".<ref>], pp. 290, 292.</ref> Despite his views, Fischer remained on good terms with Jewish chess players.<ref>], p. 27.</ref>
			===Psychological perspectives on Fischer===
	Upon his arrival in ], Fischer was welcomed by a crowd and gave a news conference.<ref>{{dead link|date=June 2012}} May 9, 2005</ref> He lived a reclusive life in Iceland, avoiding entrepreneurs and others who approached him with various proposals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4392 |title=Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland |publisher=Chessbase.com |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref>
			While as far as is known Fischer was never formally diagnosed as having a mental disorder,<ref name=LifeGame /> there has been widespread comment and speculation concerning his psychological condition based on his extreme views and unusual behavior.<ref name=Ponterotto>{{cite news |author=Joseph Ponterotto |url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/a-psychological-autopsy-of-bobby-fischer-25959 |title=A psychological autopsy of Bobby Fischer |work=Pacific Standard |date=December 10, 2010 |access-date=February 13, 2016}}</ref> ], psychologist and chess player who met Fischer many times, said that "Some of Bobby's behavior is so strange, unpredictable, odd and bizarre that even his most ardent apologists have had a hard time explaining what makes him tick" and described him as "a troubled human being" with "obvious personal problems".<ref>''Bobby Fischer's Conquest of the World's Chess Championship: The Psychology and Tactics of the Title Match'', 1973. {{ISBN|0-923891-47-1}}.</ref>
			Valery Krylov, advisor to ] and a specialist in the "psycho-physiological rehabilitation of sportsmen", believed Fischer had ].<ref name=Ponterotto/> Psychologist ], from secondhand sources, concludes that "Bobby did not meet all the necessary criteria to reach diagnoses of schizophrenia or ]. The evidence is stronger for ]."<ref name=Ponterotto/> Magnús Skúlason, a chess player, psychiatrist and head doctor of Sogn Institution for Mentally Ill Offenders near ], befriended Fischer towards the end of Fischer's life. From ''Endgame'', Fischer's 2011 biography by Frank Brady:
	On December 10, 2006, Fischer telephoned an Icelandic television station and pointed out a winning ], missed by the players and commentators, in a chess game televised live in Iceland.<ref>. ChessBase.com. December 17, 2006.</ref>
			{{blockquote|
			Skulason was not "Bobby's psychiatrist", as has been implied in the general press, nor did he offer Bobby any analysis or psychotherapy. He was at Bobby's bedside as a friend, to try to do anything he could for him. Because of his training, however, he couldn't fail to take note of Bobby's mental condition. "He definitely was not schizophrenic", Skulason said. "He had problems, possibly certain childhood traumas that had affected him. He was misunderstood. Underneath I think he was a caring sensitive person."<ref name="Brady 2011, p. 318"/>
	Fischer moved into an apartment in the same building as his closest friend and spokesman, Garðar Sverrisson. Sverrisson's wife, Kristín Þórarinsdóttir, was a nurse and later looked after Fischer as a terminally ill patient. Garðar's two children, especially his son, were very close to Fischer.
	Fischer also developed a friendship with Magnús Skúlason, a psychiatrist and chess player who later recalled long discussions with Fischer about a wide variety of subjects.<ref name=suntimes/>
	==Death, estate dispute, and exhumation==
	{{multiple image
	|image1=Laugardælakirkja.JPG|width=130|caption1=Church of ], Fischer's resting place
	|image2=Bobby Fischer grave.JPG|width=130|caption2=Fischer's grave
	}}		}}
	On January 17, 2008, Fischer died from degenerative ] at the Reykjavík hospital.<ref>, mbl.is, 2008-01-20</ref><ref>Death:
	* {{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080307095345/http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2007/11/fischer_hospitalized_in_Reykjavík.htm |title=Fischer Hospitalized in Reykjavík |author=Mig Greengard |publisher=Chess Ninja |date=November 23, 2007 }}
	* January 18, 2008
	* , the BBC on Fischer's personality and downfall
	* , ] News, 2008-01-18
	* {{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080123111601/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_FISCHER?SITE=AP|title=Chess Master Bobby Fischer Dead at 64|author=Helgason, Gudjon|publisher=Associated Press|date=January 18, 2008}}
	* </ref><ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last = Weber|first = Bruce|title = Bobby Fischer, Chess Master, Dies at 64|newspaper = The New York Times|date = January 19, 2008| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/crosswords/chess/19fischer.html| accessdate = January 20, 2008}}</ref> He originally had a urinary tract blockage but refused surgery or medications.<ref>Brady 2011, pp. 316–317.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|first=Michael|last=Dirda|title=A chess master who defeated himself|journal=Washington Post|date=10 February 2011}}</ref> Magnús Skúlason reported Fischer's last words as "Nothing is as healing as the human touch."<ref name=suntimes>, ''The Sunday Times'', April 20, 2008 {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>, Vísir.is, 2008-01-20</ref> On January 21, he was buried in the small Christian cemetery of ] church, outside the town of ], 60&nbsp;km southeast of Reykjavík, after a Catholic funeral presided over by Fr. Jakob Rolland of the diocese of Reykjavík. In accordance with Fischer's wishes, no one else was present except ], Garðar Sverrisson, and Garðar's family.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4410 |title=– Bobby Fischer – his final weeks |publisher=Chessbase.com |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref><ref>Burial:
	*
	*
	* {{dead link|date=June 2012}} Jan. 21, 2008. Icelandic.
	* – ], January 19, 2008 (Icelandic)
	* at noon on Jan. 21, 2008</ref>
	Fischer's estate was estimated at 140 million ] (about 1 million ] or US$2 million) and it quickly became the object of a legal battle involving claims from four parties with Miyoko Watai ultimately inheriting what remained of his estate after government claims. The four parties were Fischer's apparent Japanese wife Miyoko Watai, his alleged Philippine daughter Jinky Young and her mother Marilyn Young, his two American nephews Alexander and Nicholas Targ and their father ], and the U.S. government (claiming unpaid taxes).<ref name="Four parties make claims"/><ref name=suntimes/><ref>{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref><ref>Andrew Soltis, , '']'', November 15, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-11-16.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Loeb |first=Dylan |url=http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/bobby-fischer-is-exhumed/ |title=Bobby Fischer Is Exhumed, New York Times chess blog by Dylan Loeb McClain |publisher=Gambit.blogs.nytimes.com |date=2010-07-05 |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref> According to a press release issued by Samuel Estimo, an attorney representing Jinky Young, the Supreme Court of Iceland ruled in December 2009 that Watai's claim of marriage to Fischer was invalidated because of her failure to present the original copy of their alleged marriage certificate.<ref name =ChessbaseTBE>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6227 |title=Fischer’s remains to be exhumed? |publisher=Chessbase |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref> On June 16, 2010, the Court ruled in favor of a petition on behalf of Jinky Young to have Bobby Fischer's remains exhumed.<ref>Dylan Loeb McClain, , ''New York Times Europe''</ref><ref>, '']''</ref> This was performed on July 5, 2010 in the presence of a doctor, a priest, and other officials. A DNA sample was taken and Fischer's body was then reburied.<ref>{{cite news|last=Helgason|first=Gudjon|title=Chess icon Fischer's body exhumed over paternity|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/5/chess-icon-fischers-body-exhumed-over-paternity/|accessdate=July 5, 2010|newspaper=Associated Press|date=July 5, 2010}}</ref> On August 17, 2010, the Court announced that from the DNA sample it was determined that Fischer was not the father of Jinky Young.<ref name=ReutersNotDaughter>{{cite news|publisher=Reuters|date=August 17, 2010|title=DNA tests on chess champion's corpse exclude paternity|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/17/us-iceland-fischer-idUSTRE67G4TK20100817|accessdate=August 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name=CNNnotDaughter/> On March 3, 2011, a district court in Iceland ruled that Miyoko Watai and Fischer had married on September 6, 2004,<ref name=icelandreview>, Iceland Review, March 3, 2011.</ref> and that as Fischer's widow and heir, Watai was therefore entitled to inherit his estate.<ref>McClain, Dylan Loeb (March 4, 2011). , ''New York Times''</ref> Fischer's nephews were ordered to pay ] 6.6 million (approximately $57,000) in Watai's legal costs for the dispute.<ref name=icelandreview/>
	==Contributions to chess==		==Contributions to chess==
			===Writings===
	{{algebraic notation|pos=section}}
			* ''Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess'' (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1959). {{ISBN|0-923891-46-3}}. An early collection of 34 lightly annotated games, including "]" against Donald Byrne.
			* "A Bust to the King's Gambit" (''American Chess Quarterly'', Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 1961), pp.&nbsp;3–9).<ref name=bust>{{cite journal
			|author=Bobby Fischer
			|url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/bust.pdf
			|title=A Bust to the King's Gambit
			|journal=]
			|date=Summer 1961
			|pages=3–9
			|volume=1
			|number=1
			|access-date=September 2, 2023
			|archive-date=May 14, 2011
			|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514134737/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/bust.pdf
			|url-status=dead
			}}</ref>
			* "The Russians Have Fixed World Chess" ('']'', Vol. 17, No. 8 (August 20, 1962), pp.&nbsp;18–19, 64–65). This is the controversial article in which Fischer asserted that several of the Soviet players in the ] had colluded with one another to prevent him from winning the tournament.
			* "The Ten Greatest Masters in History" (''Chessworld'', Vol. 1, No. 1 (January–February 1964), pp.&nbsp;56–61). An article in which Fischer named ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] as the greatest players of all time. Fischer's criterion for inclusion on his list was his own subjective appreciation of their games rather than their achievements.<ref>], p. 78.</ref>
			* '']'' (1966), co-written with Donn Mosenfelder and Stuart Margulies.<ref>Bantam Books, May 1972, {{ISBN|0-553-26315-3}}.</ref> The extent of Fischer's actual contribution to this book has been questioned.<ref>], p. 10. " contributed some ideas, but chiefly his name, to ''Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess''."</ref>
			* "Checkmate" column from December 1966 to December 1969 in '']'', later assumed by Larry Evans.
			* '']'' (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1969, and Faber and Faber, London, 1969; Batsford 2008 (algebraic notation)). Studied by Kasparov at a young age;<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2011/03/10/bobby-fischer-defense/?pagination=false|title=The Bobby Fischer Defense|magazine=The New York Review of Books|author =Garry Kasparov|date=March 10, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2016}}</ref> "A classic of painstaking and objective analysis that modestly includes three of his losses."<ref>], pp. 138–39.</ref>
			* ''I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!'' (1982). A self-published booklet in which Fischer details his arrest in May 1981 for vagrancy.<ref name="torture"/><ref>], pp. 227–28.</ref>
	===Opening theory===		===Opening theory===
			{{AN chess|pos=secright}}
	Fischer was predictable in his use of openings and variations of those openings, but it was still difficult for opponents to exploit this limitation because his knowledge of them was so deep. As Black, he would usually play the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian defense against 1. e4 and the King's Indian Defense against 1. d4, only rarely venturing into the Nimzo-Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4). As White, Fischer opened with 1. e4 almost exclusively throughout his career. On occasion he would open with 1. Nf3 or 1. d4, but these were rarities. He was a master of the Sicilian from both sides of the board and won many games as White with 1. e4 c5. The next most common defense against his 1. e4 was the Caro-Kann Defense (1. e4 c6), to which Fischer had a good record. His worst record was against the French Defense (1. e4 e6), and especially the Winawer Variation (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4). For most of his career he maintained that the Winawer was unsound because it exposed Black's ], and that, in his view, "Black was trading off his good bishop with 3...Bb4 and ...Bxc3."<ref>Müller 2009, p. 31.</ref> Later on Fischer said: "I may yet be forced to admit that the Winawer is sound. But I doubt it! The defense is anti-positional and weakens the K-side."<ref>Fischer 1969, p. 151.</ref>
			Fischer's opening repertoire was narrow in some ways. As White, Fischer almost exclusively played 1.e4, calling it "best by test",<ref>{{cite book |last=Fischer |first=Bobby |author-link=Bobby Fischer |year=1969 |title=My 60 Memorable Games |url=https://archive.org/details/my60memorablegam00fisc |url-access=registration |chapter=45. Fischer–Bisguier, New York State Open 1963 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-671-21483-8 |page=}}</ref> throughout his career.<ref>], p. 251. "Fischer's main and almost exclusive weapon with White is 1 e4. The range of stratagems that he employs after 1 e4 is extremely wide."</ref> He played 1.d4 only once in a serious game, during a blitz tournament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044304 |title=Fischer vs. Hort, Herceg Novi Blitz (1970) |website=] }}</ref> In spite of this narrowness, he was considered by some of his rivals to be unpredictable in his opening play, and a difficult opponent to prepare for.<ref>], p. 270. "He employs a limited range of openings. Of course, this is not a sign of Fischer's limited creativity, since he compensates for this by a very profound and sound knowledge of the variations he favours {{sic}}."</ref>
			As Black, Fischer would usually play the ] against 1.e4, and the ] against 1.d4, only rarely venturing into the ], ], ] or ].<ref>], pp. 251–62.</ref> Fischer acknowledged difficulty playing against the ] of the ] (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4), but maintained that the Winawer was unsound because it exposed Black's ], and that, in his view, "Black was trading off his good bishop with 3...Bb4 and&nbsp;...Bxc3."<ref>], p. 31.</ref> Later on Fischer said: "I may yet be forced to admit that the Winawer is sound. But I doubt it! The defense is anti-positional and weakens the K-side."<ref>], p. 151.</ref>
	Fischer was renowned for his deep ] preparation and made numerous contributions to chess opening theory.<ref name="BisguierSoltisp.208">Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 208.</ref> He was one of the foremost experts on the ].<ref>Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 322 (quoting March 20, 1972 letter from Paul Keres to the USSR Chess Federation).</ref> A line of the Exchange Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0) is sometimes called the "Fischer Variation" after he successfully resurrected it at the ].<ref>"The '''Exchange Variation''' was a feared weapon in the hands of Bobby Fischer". Kasparov & Keene 1989, p. 382.</ref><ref>"The modern version of the Spanish Exchange variation, in which ] moves '''5.0-0''' after the exchange on move 4, should be named after former World Champion Bobby Fischer." Fischer, after finding an improvement on a 1965 game Barengdt-Teschner, which Black won, "started to play the Exchange with the move '''5.0-0''', winning game after game with it, and continued to play it with success even in his 1992 rematch with Boris Spassky, his final formal chess event". Kaufman 2004, pp. 4–5.</ref> Fischer's lifetime score with the move 5.0-0 in tournament and match games was six wins, three draws, and no losses (83.3%).<ref>. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.</ref>
			Fischer was renowned for his opening preparation and made numerous contributions to chess opening theory.<ref name="Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 208">], p. 208.</ref> He was one of the foremost experts on the ].<ref>], p. 322 (quoting March 20, 1972, letter from Paul Keres to the USSR Chess Federation).</ref> A line of the ] (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0) is sometimes called the "Fischer Variation" after he successfully resurrected it at the ].<ref>{{cite book
	He was a recognized expert in the black side of the ] and the ].<ref>Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, pp. 29, 32–33.</ref> He used the ] and ] to win his celebrated games against Donald and Robert Byrne, and played a ] in the Grünfeld against reigning World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik, refuting Botvinnik's prepared analysis over-the-board.<ref>L.S. Blackstock, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 36.</ref><ref>Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 25.</ref> In the ], the line beginning with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 Ba6 was named for him.<ref>Hansen 2002, p. 132.</ref><ref>Pliester 1995, p. 272.</ref><ref>Gligorić 1985, p. 65.</ref>
			|author = Garry Kasparov and Keene Raymond
			|title=Batsford Chess Openings 2
			|year=1989|page=382|quote=The Exchange Variation was a feared weapon in the hands of Bobby Fischer
			|publisher=Collier Books
			|isbn=978-0-02-033991-5
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|quote=The modern version of the Spanish Exchange variation, in which ] moves 5.0-0 after the exchange on move 4, should be named after former world champion Bobby Fischer. started to play the Exchange with the move 5.0-0, winning game after game with it, and continued to play it with success even in his 1992 rematch with Boris Spassky, his final formal chess event.
			|author=Larry Kaufman
			|title=The Chess Advantage in Black and White
			|year=2004|pages=4–5
			|publisher=David McKay
			|isbn=978-0-8129-3571-4
			}}</ref> Fischer's lifetime score with the move 5.0-0 in tournament and match games was eight wins, three draws, and no losses (86.36%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=white&pid=19233&player=&pid2=&player2=&movescomp=exactly&moves=&opening=&eco=C68-69&result= |title=Robert James Fischer, Ruy Lopez, Exchange (C68–C69) |website=] |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>
			Fischer was a recognized expert in the black side of the Najdorf Sicilian and the King's Indian Defense.<ref>Andrew Soltis, in ], pp. 29, 32–33.</ref> He used the ] and ] to win his celebrated games against Donald and Robert Byrne, and played a ] in the Grünfeld against reigning world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, refuting Botvinnik's prepared analysis {{chessgloss|over the board}}.<ref>L.S. Blackstock, in ], p. 36.</ref><ref>Andrew Soltis, in ], p. 25.</ref> In the Nimzo-Indian Defense, the line beginning with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 Ba6 was named after him.<ref>{{cite book
	Fischer established the viability of the so-called ] of the Najdorf Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6). This bold queen sortie, to snatch a pawn at the expense of development, had been considered dubious,<ref>Watson observed that 7...Qb6 "is an astonishing move that those raised with classical chess principles would simply reject as a typical beginner's mistake. Black goes running after a pawn when he is undeveloped and already under attack." Watson 2006, p. 199.</ref><ref>"Referring to the Poisoned Pawn Variation ... the brilliant, classically oriented grandmaster ] commented, even as late as 1972: 'In chess, there is an old rule: in the opening, one must make haste to develop the pieces, and must not move the same piece several times, particularly the queen. This ancient law holds good even for Bobby Fischer.{{' "}} Watson 1998, p. 18.</ref><ref>The Poisoned Pawn Variation "was considered dubious by certain GMs and crazy by Bent Larsen". Polugaevsky, Piket & Guéneau 1995, p. 83.</ref> but Fischer succeeded in proving its soundness.<ref name="SoltisMüller2009p.30">Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 30.</ref> Out of ten tournament and match games as Black in the Poisoned Pawn, Fischer won five, drew four, and lost only one, the 11th game of his 1972 match against Spassky.<ref>. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 03-22-2009.</ref> Following Fischer's use, the Poisoned Pawn became a respected line played by many of the world's leading players.<ref>Georgiev & Kolev 2007, p. 6.</ref>
			|author=Carsten Hansen|author-link=Carsten Hansen (chess player)
			|title=The Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3
			|year=2003|page=132
			|publisher=Gambit Publications
			|isbn=978-1-901983-58-6
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Leon Pliester
			|title=Rubinstein Complex of the Nimzo-Indian Defense
			|year=1995|page=272
			|publisher=International Chess Enterprises
			|isbn=978-1-879479-25-8
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Svetozar Gligorić
			|title=Play the Nimzo-Indian Defense
			|year=1985|page=65
			|publisher=Pergamon Press
			|isbn=978-0-08-026927-6
			}}</ref>
			Fischer established the viability of the so-called ] of the Najdorf Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6). This bold queen sortie, to snatch a pawn at the expense of development, had been considered dubious,<ref>{{cite book
	On the white side of the ], Fischer made advances to the theory of the line beginning 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 (or e6) 6.Bc4,<ref name="SoltisMüller2009p.30"/><ref>Mednis 1997, pp. 56, 146.</ref> which has sometimes been named for him.<ref>Mednis calls 6.Bc4 against the Najdorf Variation "Fischer's 6 B-QB4". Mednis 1997, pp. 56, 74, 80, 88.</ref> In 1961, prompted by a loss the year before to Spassky,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1080046 |title=Boris Spassky vs Robert James Fischer |publisher=ChessGames.com |accessdate=January 18, 2008}}</ref> Fischer wrote an article entitled "A ] to the ]" for the first issue of the '']'', in which he stated, "In my opinion, the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force."<ref>Fischer 1961, p. 4.</ref> Fischer recommended 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6,<ref>Fischer 1961, pp. 4–9.</ref> which has since become known as the ] to the King's Gambit.<ref>Korchnoi & Zak 1975, p. 39.</ref><ref>Estrin & Glaskov 1982, p. 115.</ref><ref>Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 29.</ref> Fischer later played the King's Gambit as White in three tournament games, preferring 3.Bc4 to 3.Nf3, winning them all.<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 27, 76–77, 253, 256.</ref>
			|author=John Watson
			|title=Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 1
			|year=2006|page=199|quote=7...Qb6 is an astonishing move that those raised with classical chess principles would simply reject as a typical beginner's mistake. Black goes running after a pawn when he is undeveloped and already under attack.
			|publisher=Gambit Publications
			|isbn=978-1-904600-60-2
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=John Watson|author-link=John L. Watson
			|title=Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch
			|year=1998|page=|quote=... the brilliant, classically oriented grandmaster Salo Flohr commented, even as late as 1972: 'In chess, there is an old rule: in the opening, one must make haste to develop the pieces, and must not move the same piece several times, particularly the queen. This ancient law holds good even for Bobby Fischer.
			|publisher=Gambit Publications
			|isbn=978-1-901983-07-4
			|title-link=Aron Nimzowitsch}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Lev Polugevsky |author2=Jeroen Piket |author3=Christophe Guéneau|name-list-style=amp
			|title=Sicilian Love: Lev Polugaevsky Chess Tournament, Buenos Aires 1994|quote=The Poisoned Pawn Variation was considered dubious by certain GMs and crazy by Bent Larsen
			|year=1995|page=83
			|publisher=New in Chess
			|isbn=978-90-71689-99-4
			}}</ref> but Fischer succeeded in proving its soundness.<ref name="Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 30">Andrew Soltis, in ], p. 30.</ref> Out of ten tournament and match games as Black in the Poisoned Pawn, Fischer scored 70%, winning five, drawing four, and losing only one: the 11th game of his 1972 match against Spassky.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=black&pid=&player=Fischer&pid2=&player2=&movescomp=exactly&moves=&opening=&eco=B97&result= |title=Robert James Fischer, Sicilian, Najdorf (B97) |website=] |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Following Fischer's use, the Poisoned Pawn Variation became a respected line, utilized by many of the world's leading players.<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Kiril Georgiev |author2=Atanas Kolev|name-list-style=amp
			|title=The Sharpest Sicilian: A Black Repertoire with 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6
			|year=2007|page=6
			|publisher=Simolini 94 (Sofia, Bulgaria)
			|isbn=978-954-8782-56-2
			}}</ref> Fischer's 10.f5 in this line against Efim Geller quickly became the main line of the Poisoned Pawn.
			On the white side of the ], Fischer made advances to the theory of the line beginning 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 (or e6) 6.Bc4,<ref name="Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 30"/><ref>], pp. 56, 146.</ref> which has sometimes been named after him.<ref>Mednis calls 6.Bc4 against the Najdorf Variation "Fischer's 6 B-QB4". ], pp. 56, 74, 80, 88.</ref>
	===Endgame===
	Fischer had an excellent endgame technique.<ref>Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 214.</ref> ] ] listed him as one of the five best ] players, along with ], ], ], and ]. Silman called him a "master of bishop endings".<ref>Silman 2007, pp. 510–23.</ref>
			In 1961, prompted by a loss the year before to Spassky,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1080046|title=Boris Spassky vs. Robert James Fischer – Mar del Plata (1960), Mar del Plata ARG, rd 2, Mar-30|website=]|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Fischer wrote an article titled "A {{chessgloss|bust|Bust}} to the ]" for the first issue of the '']'', in which he stated, "In my opinion, the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force."<ref name=bust/> Fischer recommended 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6,<ref>Fischer 1961, pp. 4–9.</ref> which has since become known as the ], as a refutation to the King's Gambit.<ref>{{cite book
	The endgame of a ], ], and ] against a rook, ], and pawns has sometimes been called the "Fischer Endgame" because of several instructive wins by Fischer (with the bishop), including three against ] in 1970 and 1971.<ref>Müller & Lamprecht 2001, p. 304.</ref><ref>Mayer 1997, p. 201.</ref><ref>], 2012, ''The Greatest Ever chess endgames'', p. 68</ref> One of the games was in the 1970 ] and the other two were in their 1971 quarter-final ].
			|author=Yakov Estrin |author2=I.B. Glazkov|name-list-style=amp
			|title=Play the King's Gambit, Volume 1: King's Gambit Accepted
			|year=1982|page=115
			|publisher=Pergamon Press
			|isbn=978-0-08-026872-9
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Viktor Korchnoi |author2=Vladimir Zak|name-list-style=amp
			|title=The King's Gambit
			|year=1975
			|publisher=Chess Digest
			|page=39
			}}</ref><ref>Andrew Soltis, in ], p. 29.</ref> Fischer later played the King's Gambit as White in three tournament games, winning them all.<ref>], pp. 27, 76–77, 253, 256.</ref>
			===Endgame===
			Fischer had excellent ] technique.<ref>], p. 214.</ref> International Master ] listed him as one of the five best endgame players (along with ], ], ], and ]), calling Fischer a "master of bishop endings".<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Jeremy Silman|author-link=Jeremy Silman
			|title=Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master
			|url=https://archive.org/details/silmanscompletee00silm_087|url-access=limited|year=2007|pages=–23
			|publisher=Siles Press
			|isbn=978-1-890085-10-0
			}}</ref> The endgame of a ], ], and ] against a rook, ], and pawns has sometimes been called the "Fischer Endgame" because of several instructive wins by Fischer (with the bishop), including three against ] in 1970 and 1971.<ref>{{cite book
			|author=Karsten Müller |author2=Frank Lamprecht|name-list-style=amp
			|title=Fundamental Chess Endings
			|url=https://archive.org/details/fundamentalchess00mull |url-access=limited |year=2001|page=
			|publisher=]
			|isbn=978-1-901983-53-1
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author= Steve Mayer|page=
			|title=Bishop versus Knight: The Verdict
			|url= https://archive.org/details/bishopvknight00maye|url-access= limited|year=1997
			|publisher=Batsford
			|isbn=978-1-879479-73-9
			}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Steve Giddins|author-link=Steve Giddins
			|title=Greatest Ever Chess Endgames
			|publisher=Everyman Chess
			|date=2012
			|page=68
			|isbn=978-1-85744-694-4
			}}</ref>
	===Fischer clock===		===Fischer clock===
	{{Further|Game clock#Recent developments of digital clocks and current usage}}		{{Further|Chess clock#Fischer clock and related designs}}
	In 1988, Fischer filed for {{US patent|4,884,255}} for a new type of digital ]. Fischer's clock gave each player a fixed period of time at the start of the game and then added a small increment after each completed move. The "Fischer clock" soon became standard in most major chess tournaments. The patent expired in November 2001 because of overdue maintenance fees.		In 1988, Fischer filed for {{US patent|4,884,255}} for a new type of ], which gave each player a fixed period at the start of the game and then added a small increment after each completed move.<ref>], p. 422.</ref>
			An example of Fischer's patented clock was made for, and used in, the ].<ref>], p. 246.</ref><ref name="Müller 2009, p. 382"/> Clocks based on the "Fischer clock" soon became standard in major chess tournaments.<ref>], p. 307.</ref> Fischer would later complain that he was cheated out of the royalties for this invention.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,,870785,00.html|title=The madness of King Bobby|author=Rene Chun|date=January 12, 2003|work=The Observer}}</ref>
	===Fischerandom Chess===
	{{Main|Chess960}}
	On June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fischer announced and advocated a variant of chess named Fischerandom Chess (later known as ]) intended to ensure that a game between players is a contest between their understandings of chess, rather than their abilities to memorize opening lines or prepare opening strategies.
			===Fischer Random===
	Fischerandom was designed to remove any advantage from the memorization of opening variations by rendering it impracticable. Fischer complained in a 2006 phoned-in call with a radio interviewer that because of the progress in openings and the memorization of opening books, the best players from history, if brought back from the dead to play today, would no longer be competitive. "Some kid of fourteen today, or even younger, could get an opening advantage against ]", he said, merely because of opening-book memorization, which Fischer disdained. "Now chess is completely dead. It is all just memorization and prearrangement. It's a terrible game now. Very uncreative."<ref> Nov. 4, 2006</ref> Fischer heavily disparaged chess as it was currently being played at the highest levels.<ref></ref>
			{{Main|Fischer random chess}}
			Following his re-emergence onto the chess scene with his 1992 match against Spassky, Fischer heavily disparaged chess as it was being played at the highest levels.<ref>], p. 17</ref> As a result, on June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fischer announced and advocated a variant of chess called Fischerandom (later also known as Chess960). The goal of Fischerandom was to ensure that a game between two players is a contest between their understandings of chess, rather than their abilities to prepare opening strategies or memorize opening lines.<ref>], p. 260.</ref><ref>{{cite book
			|author=Svetozar Gligorić
			|title=Shall We Play Fischerandom Chess?
			|publisher=]
			|year=2002|page=132|quote=At the beginning of the 21st century, grandmasters have been slowly but surely expressing interest in Fischerandom Chess
			|isbn=978-0-7134-8764-0}}</ref>
	===Legacy===		===Legacy===
			Some grandmasters compared Fischer's play to that of a computer<ref>], p. 270. "William Lombardy characterized Fischer's game as machinelike, with 'terrifically accurate positional play but never boring... His opening repertory is encompassing... His end game is practically flawless. Bobby is the most complete player I've ever seen'."</ref><ref>], p. 22. "Referring to the future chess computer, Jim Sherwin ]], an American player who knew Fischer well, described him as 'a prototype ].' The Soviet analysis showed that even when faced with an unexpected position, Fischer took not longer than fifteen or twenty minutes to make his move; other grandmasters might take twice as long. Nor did Fischer appear to be governed by any psychologically predetermined system or technique."</ref> or a player without noticeable weaknesses.<ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Winter
	Kasparov calls Fischer "perhaps the most mythologically shrouded figure in chess".<ref name="Kasparov 2004, p. 207">Kasparov 2004, p. 207.</ref> Some leading players and some of Fischer's biographers have ranked him as the greatest player who ever lived.<ref>Greatest player ever:
			|title=World Chess Champions
	* Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 47 (] interview), 91 (] interview), 113 (] interview).
			|year=1981|page=118
	* Hartston 1985, p. 157.
			|publisher=Pergamon
	* Levy 1975, p. 9.
			|isbn=978-0-08-024117-3|quote= play approached so close to perfection that it seemed to transcend style
	* Müller 2009, p. 23.
			}}</ref>
	* Waitzkin 1993, p. 275 (quoting Kasparov).
	</ref> Other writers have said that he was arguably the greatest player ever, without reaching a definitive conclusion.<ref>Arguably greatest player ever:
	* Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 133–34.
	* Divinsky 1990. p. 67.
	* Euwe 1979, p. ix.
	* Golombek 1977. p. 117.
	* Mednis 1997, p. xiii.
	* Soltis 2003, p. 9.
	* Kasparov 2004, p. 490.
	</ref> ] wrote, "Most experts place him the second or third best ever, behind Kasparov but probably ahead of Karpov."<ref>, ], ], 19 January 2008</ref>
			Biographers David Edmonds and John Eidinow wrote:
	"Referring to the future chess computer, Jim Sherwin ]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, an American player who knew Fischer well, described him as 'a prototype ].' The Soviet analysis showed that even when faced with an unexpected position, Fischer took not longer than fifteen or twenty minutes to make his move; other grandmasters might take twice as long. Nor did Fischer appear to be governed by any psychologically predetermined system or technique."<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 22.</ref>
			{{blockquote|
			Faced with Fischer's extraordinary coolness, his opponents {{sic}} assurance would begin to disintegrate. A Fischer move, which at first glance looked weak, would be reassessed. It must have a deep master plan behind it, undetectable by mere mortals (more often than not they were right, it did). The US grandmaster Robert Byrne labeled the phenomenon "Fischer-fear". Grandmasters would wilt, their suits would crumple, sweat would glisten on their brows, panic would overwhelm their nervous systems. Errors would creep in. Calculations would go awry. There was talk among grandmasters that Fischer hypnotized his opponents, that he undermined their intellectual powers with a dark, mystic, insidious force.<ref>], p. 23.</ref>
			}}
			Kasparov wrote that Fischer "became the detonator of an avalanche of new chess ideas, a revolutionary whose revolution is still in progress".<ref name=kasp>{{cite magazine |author=Garry Kasparov |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1707222,00.html |title=The Chessman |magazine=Time |date=January 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604183029/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1707222,00.html |access-date=January 29, 2014|archive-date=June 4, 2017 }}</ref> In January 2009, reigning world champion ] described him as "the greatest chess player who ever lived".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090116/jsp/sports/story_10397969.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203011640/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090116/jsp/sports/story_10397969.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2009 |title=Fischer is greatest ever, says Anand |work=Telegraphindia.com |date=January 16, 2009 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |location=Calcutta, India}}</ref> Serbian GM ] called Fischer, "A man without frontiers. He didn't divide the East and the West, he brought them together in their admiration of him."<ref name="Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland"/>
	Although international ratings were just introduced in 1970, ] has used algorithms to rank performances retrospectively and uniformly throughout chess history. According to Chessmetrics, Fischer's peak rating was 2895 in October 1971—the highest in history. His one-year peak average was 2881, in 1971, the highest of all time. His three-year peak average was 2867, from January 1971 to December 1973—the second highest ever, just behind Garry Kasparov. Chessmetrics ranked Fischer as the number one player in the world for a total of 109 different months, running (not consecutively) from February 1964 until July 1974.<ref></ref>
			German GM ] wrote:
	Fischer's great rival ] praised him as "the greatest genius to have descended from the chess heavens".<ref>Saidy & Lessing 1974, p. 226.</ref> American grandmaster Arthur Bisguier wrote "Robert James Fischer is one of the few people in any sphere of endeavour who has been accorded the accolade of being called a legend in his own time."<ref>Wade & O'Connell 1972, p. 43.</ref>
			{{blockquote|
			Fischer, who had taken the highest crown almost singlehandedly from the mighty, almost invincible Soviet chess empire, shook the whole world, not only the chess world, to its core. He started a chess boom not only in the United States and in the Western hemisphere, but worldwide. Teaching chess or playing chess as a career had truly become a respectable profession. After Bobby, the game was simply not the same.<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 23">], p. 23.</ref>
	Fischer biographers David Edmonds and John Eidinow wrote:<ref>Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 23.</ref><blockquote>Faced with Fischer's extraordinary coolness, his opponents assurance would begin to disintegrate. A Fischer move, which at first glances looked weak, would be reassessed. It must have a deep master plan behind it, undetectable by mere mortals (more often than not they were right, it did). The U.S. grandmaster Robert Byrne labeled the phenomenon "Fischer-fear." Grandmasters would wilt, their suits would crumple, sweat would glisten on their brows, panic would overwhelm their nervous systems. Errors would creep in. Calculations would go awry. There was talk among grandmasters that Fischer hypnotized his opponents, that he undermined their intellectual powers with a dark, mystic, insidious force.</blockquote>
			}}
	Kasparov wrote that Fischer "became the detonator of an avalanche of new chess ideas, a revolutionary whose revolution is still in progress."<ref name=kasp>, ''TIME'', 26 January 2008</ref> In January 2009, reigning World Champion ] described him as "the greatest chess player who ever lived. He was a very special person, and I was fortunate to meet him two years ago."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090116/jsp/sports/story_10397969.jsp |title=The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) &#124; Sports &#124; Fischer is greatest ever, says Anand |publisher=Telegraphindia.com |date=January 16, 2009 |accessdate=August 2, 2010 |location=Calcutta, India}}</ref> Serbian grandmaster ] called Fischer, "A man without frontiers. He didn't divide the East and the West, he brought them together in their admiration of him."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4392 |title=– Chess News – Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland |publisher=Chessbase.com |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref>
	German grandmaster ] wrote:<ref name="Müller 2009, p. 23"/><blockquote>Fischer, who had taken the highest crown almost singlehandedly from the mighty, almost invincible Soviet chess empire, shook the whole world, not only the chess world, to its core. He started a chess boom not only in the United States and in the Western hemisphere, but worldwide. Teaching chess or playing chess as a career had truly become a respectable profession. After Bobby, the game was simply not the same.</blockquote>
			===Head-to-head record versus selected grandmasters===
	Fischer was a charter inductee into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. in 1985. After routing Taimanov, Larsen, and Petrosian in 1971, Fischer achieved a then-record ] of 2785.<ref name="Informant14ratinglist"/><ref name="AllTimeRankings"/> After beating Spassky by the score 12½–8½ in their 1972 match, his rating dropped to 2780.<ref name="AllTimeRankings"/>
			(Rapid, blitz, and blindfold games not included; listed as +wins −losses =draws.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com |title=chess games |website=] |date=September 22, 2015 |access-date=September 22, 2015}}</ref><br />
			<small>{{em|Players who have been World Champions in boldface}}</small>
			{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ''']''' +2−4=5
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ''']''' +0−0=1
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ''']''' +3−1=5
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ''']''' +17−11=28
			* {{flagicon|Netherlands}} ''']''' +1−1=1
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ''']''' +8−4=15
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ] +3−5=2
			* {{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] +7−4=8
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ] +4−3=3
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ] +2−2=4
			* {{flagicon|Denmark}} ] +9−2=1
			* {{flagicon|Argentina}} ] +4−1=4
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ] +0−0=1
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ] +0−0=2
			* {{flagicon|USA}} ] +9−4=13
			* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ] +7−0=1
			* {{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] +4−2=4
			* {{flagicon|USA}} ] +8−3=7
			{{div col end}}
			===Internet chess playing speculation===
	St. Louis philanthropist ] offered a $64,000 ''Fischer Memorial Prize'' for any player who could win all nine of their games at the 2009 ]. By the fifth day of the championship, all 24 participants became ineligible for the prize, having drawn or lost at least one game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/ALL-PARTICIPANTS-AT-US-CHESS-CHAMPIONSHIP-NOW-OFFICIALLY-INELIGIBLE-FOR-FISCHER-PRIZE.html |title=All participants at U.S. Chess Championship now officially ineligible for $64,000 Fischer memorial prize for a 'sweep' |publisher=Saintlouischessclub.org |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref>
			In 2001, ] wrote in '']'' chess column that he believed he had been secretly playing Fischer on the ] (ICC) in speed chess matches.<ref>{{cite news |author=Andrew Allerson|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1339982/Bobby-Fischer-takes-on-all-comers-in-cyberspace.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1339982/Bobby-Fischer-takes-on-all-comers-in-cyberspace.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Bobby Fischer takes on all comers – in cyberspace |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=September 9, 2001 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/the-third-coming-of-bobby-fischer- |title=The third coming of Bobby Fischer? |publisher=chessbase.com |date=September 18, 2001 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Subsequently others claimed to have played Fischer as well.<ref>{{cite web |author=Daaim Shabazz |url=http://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2008/02/24/did-ro-mitchell-meet-bobby-fischer/ |title=Did R.O. Mitchell meet Bobby Fischer? |publisher=thechessdrum.net |date=February 24, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818102317/https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2008/02/24/did-ro-mitchell-meet-bobby-fischer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
			Fischer denied ownership of the account.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chess960frc.blogspot.com/2013/12/fischer-and-wild-variant-22.html|title=Chess960 (FRC): Fischer and 'Wild Variant 22'|website=chess960frc.blogspot.com|access-date=June 14, 2016|date=December 21, 2013}}</ref>
	==In popular culture==		==In popular culture==
			===In film===
	* The musical '']'', with lyrics by ] and music by ] and ], tells the story of two chess champions, referred to only as "The American" and "The Russian". The musical is loosely based on the 1972 World Championship match between Fischer and Spassky.<ref>], ''Chess: The Making of the Musical'', Pavilion Books, 1986, p. 10. ISBN 1-85145-006-8.</ref>
			* The 1993 film '']'', adapted from its ] book, uses Fischer's name in the title although the film and book are both based on the life of fellow chess prodigy ], whose father, ], wrote the book.<ref>{{cite news |author=Roger Ebert |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19930811/REVIEWS/308110301/1023 |title=Searching for Bobby Fischer review |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=August 11, 1993 |access-date=January 29, 2014 |archive-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311222354/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19930811%2FREVIEWS%2F308110301%2F1023 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Outside of the United States, it was released as ''Innocent Moves''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108065/releaseinfo#akas |title=Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |website=] |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> The title refers to the search for Fischer's successor after his disappearance from competitive chess, since Waitzkin's father felt that his own son could be that successor. Fischer never saw the film and claimed that it violated his privacy by using his name without his permission.<ref>], p. 267.</ref> Fischer never received any compensation from the film, calling it "a monumental swindle".<ref>{{cite news|title=Bobby Fischer Moves to a Satisfying Peace|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=September 26, 1993}} Quoted in ], p. 268.</ref>
	* During the 1972 Fischer–Spassky match, the Soviet ] ] wrote an ironic two-song cycle "Honor of the Chess Crown". The first song is about a rank-and-file Soviet worker's preparation for the match with Fischer; the second is about the game. Many expressions from the songs have become ]s in Russian culture.<ref>{{ru icon}} (about chess songs of Vladimir Vysotsky).</ref>
			* In April 2009, the documentary '']'', about Fischer's last years as his old friend Saemundur Palsson gets him out of jail in Japan and helps him settle in Iceland, was premiered in Iceland. The film was produced by Friðrik Guðmundsson with music by ], ] and ].
	* The 1993 film '']'' uses Fischer's name in the title even though the film is actually about the life of ].<ref>, ], Chicago Sun-Times, August 11, 1993. Retrieved 2009-11-04.</ref> Outside of the United States, it was released as ''Innocent Moves''.<ref>. ]. Retrieved on 2009-11-04.</ref> The title refers to the search for Fischer's successor after his disappearance from competitive chess, and for a talent like Fischer's in the author's chess-playing son. Fischer never saw the film and complained bitterly that it was an invasion of his privacy by using his name without his permission. Fischer never received any compensation from the film, calling it "a monumental swindle".<ref>Brady 2011, pp. 267–68</ref>
			* In October 2009, the biographical film ''Bobby Fischer Live''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1407053/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1|title=Bobby Fischer Live (2009)|date=October 1, 2009|work=imdb|access-date=August 5, 2015}}</ref> was released, with Damien Chapa directing and starring as Fischer.
	* Bobby Fischer is mentioned in ]'s novel, '']''.<ref>Kundera 2010, pp. 67 and 69.</ref>
			* In 2011, documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus released '']'', which explores the life of Fischer, with interviews from ], ], and others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14013115|title=Bobby Fischer: Chess's beguiling eccentric genius|author=David Edmonds|work=BBC News|date=July 4, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2016}}</ref>
	* A 2005 episode of '']'', "]" is based on Bobby Fischer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbc.com/Law_and_Order_Criminal_Intent/episode_guide/77.shtml |title=Episode Guide: Gone |accessdate=August 28, 2013 |publisher=] }}</ref>
			* On September 16, 2015, the American biographical film '']'' was released, starring ] as Fischer, ] as ], ] as ], and ] as ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596345/?ref_=nv_sr_1|title=Pawn Sacrifice|website=The Internet Movie Database|access-date=September 16, 2015}}</ref>
	==Writings==		===Other media===
			* The 1984 concept album '']'', with lyrics by ] and music by ] and ], is loosely based on the 1972 World Championship match between Fischer and Spassky. The characterization of the American player Freddie Trumper as a hot-headed and paranoid xenophobe is based on Fischer.<ref>] (1986). ''Chess: The Making of the Musical''. Pavilion Books. p. 10. {{ISBN|1-85145-006-8}}.</ref>
	* ''Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess'' (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1959). ISBN 0-923891-46-3. An early collection of 34 lightly annotated games including the "Game of the Century" against Donald Byrne.
			* During the 1972 Fischer–Spassky match, the Soviet ] ] wrote an ironic two-song cycle "Honor of the Chess Crown". The first song is about a rank-and-file Soviet worker's preparation for the match with Fischer; the second is about the game. Many expressions from the songs have become ]s in Russian culture.<ref>{{cite web |author=Musin Zhaskyran|url=http://www.kulichki.com/vv/ovys/articles/0018.html |title=Chess Problems (about chess songs of Vladimir Vysotsky) |date=January 2001 |access-date=January 29, 2014|language=ru}}</ref>
	* "A Bust to the King's Gambit" (''American Chess Quarterly'', Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 1961), pp.&nbsp;3–9).
			* British ] band ] reference Fischer in their 1984 song ] in the lyrics "When Bobby Fischer's plane touches the ground/He'll take those Russian boys and play them out of town".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genius.com/Prefab-sprout-cue-fanfare-lyrics |title=Prefab Sprout - Cue Fanfare}}</ref>
	* "The Russians Have Fixed World Chess" ('']'' magazine, August 1962). This is the controversial article in which Fischer asserted that several of the Soviet players in the ] had colluded with one another.
			* In a season 21 episode of '']'', in a sketch set at a chess tournament, the ], played by ] and ], sang a cheer with references to Fischer and his reclusion, including the lyrics "Where is he?/I don't know/I don't know".<ref>{{cite web|title=Spartan Cheerleaders at a Chess Tournament|url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/spartan-cheerleaders-at-a-chess-tournament/3505907?snl=1|website=nbc.com|access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>
	* "The Ten Greatest Masters in History" (''Chessworld'', Vol. 1, No. 1 (January–February 1964), pp.&nbsp;56–61). An article in which Fischer named ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] as the best players of all time.<ref>Brady 1973, p. 78.</ref>
			* In episode ] of '']'', titled "Games", comedian and author ] retells the story of the ] match between Fischer and Spassky. In the episode, ] plays Fischer, and ] plays Spassky.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bobby Fischer, King of the Chess People|url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/ipb44g/drunk-history-bobby-fischer--king-of-the-chess-people|website=]|access-date=October 17, 2019|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807191346/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/ipb44g/drunk-history-bobby-fischer--king-of-the-chess-people|url-status=dead}}</ref>
	* "Checkmate" column from December 1966 to December 1969 in '']'', assumed later by Larry Evans.
	* '']'' (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1969, and Faber and Faber, London, 1969; Batsford 2008 (algebraic notation)). "A classic of painstaking and objective analysis that modestly includes three of his losses."<ref>Hooper & Whyld 1992, pp. 138–39.</ref>
	* ''I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!'' (1982) pamphlet.
			==Tournament, match, and team event summaries==
	===Under Fischer's name===
	There have been numerous books, in many languages, that list Fischer as the author or as endorsing the book.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter28.html |title=Chess Notes 4707, 4721, Edward Winter, Chess Notes Archive |publisher=Chesshistory.com |accessdate=2011-11-12}}</ref> One of these is the 1972 book ''Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess'' with Donn Mosenfelder and Stuart Margulies.<ref>Bantam Books, May 1972, ISBN 0-553-26315-3.</ref> The book uses ] to help beginners learn how to see elementary chess combinations. Although Fischer allowed his name to be used, he had little involvement with the writing of the book.<ref>] writes that Fischer "contributed some ideas, but chiefly his name, to ''Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess''". Soltis 2003, p. 10.</ref>
			Fischer played 752 tournament games in his career, winning 417, drawing 251, and losing 84.<ref name=":0">"Bobby Fischer, the Career and Complete Games of the American World Chess Champion", by Karsten Muller, 2009, Russel Enterprises, Milford, CT, p. 398</ref> These include, however, games when he was very young; if only the games after he turned 20 are considered, he played 311 tournament games and lost 23, a 7.4% loss percentage.<ref name=":0"/>
	==Tournament and match summaries==
	===Tournaments===		===Tournaments===
			The 1955 US Amateur Championship was the first tournament organized by the US Chess Federation in which Fischer entered. Before this tournament, he had played in the Brooklyn Chess Club Championships, in some tournaments organized by the Brooklyn YMCA Chess and Checker Club, and in a ] tournament organized by ''Chess Review''.
	{| class="wikitable"
			{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
	|+Tournament record<ref name="Müller 2009, pp. 399-400"/><ref name="verwer116">''Bobby Fischer for Beginners'', by Renzo Verwer, 2010, p. 116-18</ref>
			|+Tournament record<ref name="Müller 2009, pp. 399-400"/><ref name=Verwer>{{cite book
			|author=Renzo Verwer
			|title=Bobby Fischer for Beginners
			|year=2010|pages=116–118
			|publisher=New In Chess
			|isbn=978-90-5691-315-1
			}}</ref>
	|-		|-
	!Year!!Tournament!!Location!!Wins!!Draws!!Losses!!Ranking!!Percentage		!Year!!Tournament!!Location!!Wins!!Draws!!Losses!!Points!!Games!!Ranking!!Players!!%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=3|1955||align=left|US Amateur Championship||align=left|] || colspan=3 align=center|unknown (6 games) || ≤ 3 || 6 || below 32nd<ref>], p. 92</ref>||75||≤ 50%
	|1955||U.S. Junior Championship||Lincoln||2||6||2||10–20||50%
	|-		|-
	|1956||U.S. Amateur Championship||New Jersey||3||2||1||21||57%		|align=left|US Junior Championship||align=left|]||2||6||2||5||10 || 11th–21st (20th<br /> on tie-break)||25||50%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Washington Square Park||align=left|New York|| colspan=3 align=center|unknown (8 games) ||5||8 || 15th||66<ref>, New York, NY, Monday, October 3, 1955 – Page 27.</ref>||56%
	|1956||U.S. Junior Championship||Philadelphia||8||1||1||1||85%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=10|1956||align=left|Greater New York City Open<ref name=GNYO> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212103806/http://www.atomicpatzer.com/acn/ACN-AprilSept2010.pdf |date=December 12, 2020 }} Sept 2010</ref> ||align=left|Manhattan||5||0||2||5||7 || 5th–7th||52||71%
	|1956||U.S. Open||Oklahoma City||5||7||0||4–8||71%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Manhattan Chess Club <br />Tournament 'A'-Reserves ||align=left|New York|| colspan=3 align=center|unknown (10 games)||7½ ||10 || 1st–2nd<ref>], p. 97</ref> || 6<ref>John Donaldson, ''Bobby Fischer and his world'', p.86.</ref> || 75%
	|1956||Canadian Open||Montreal||6||2||2||8–12||70%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Metropolitan League<br /> (team event)||align=left|New York||4||1||0||4½||5 || colspan=2 align=center|Manhattan 'A'-Reserves<br />Team top scorer<ref>], p. 98</ref> ||90%
	|1956||Rosenwald Trophy||New York||2||5||4||8–10||41%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|US Amateur Championship||align=left|]||3||2||1||4||6 || 21st||88||67%
	|1956||Eastern States Open||Washington, D.C.||4||3||0||2–4||79%
	|-		|-
	|1956||Manhattan Club Championship, semifinals||New York||2||1||2||4||50%		|align=left|US Junior Championship||align=left|Philadelphia||8||1||1||8½||10 || 1st ||28||85%
	|-		|-
	|1957||Log Cabin Open||West Orange||4||0||2||6||67%		|align=left|US Open||align=left|]||5||7||0||8½||12 || 4th–8th||102||71%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Canadian Open||align=left|Montreal||6||2||2||7||10 || 8th–12th||88||70%
	|1957||Log Cabin 30–30||West Orange||3||2||0||unknown||80%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Rosenwald Trophy||align=left|New York||2||5||4||4½||11 || 8th–10th||12||41%
	|1957||Log Cabin 50–50||West Orange||0||0||0||unknown||?
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Eastern States Open||align=left|Washington, D.C.||4||3||0||5½||7 || 2nd–5th||56 ||79%
	|1957||Metropolitan League||New York||1||0||0||unknown||100%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Manhattan Chess Club<br /> Championship semifinals||align=left|New York||2||1||2||2½||5 || 4th||6||50%
	|1957||New Western Open||Milwaukee||5||2||1||6–12||75%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=9|1957||align=left|Log Cabin Open||align=left|]||4||0||2||4||6 || 6th–14th||61||67%
	|1957||U.S. Junior Open Championship||San Francisco||8||1||0||1||94%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Log Cabin 50–50, ]||align=left|West Orange||3||2||0||4||5 || colspan=2 align=center|unknown ||80%
	|1957||U.S. Open||Cleveland||7||4||0||1||82%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Metropolitan League<br /> (team event)||align=left|New York||5||0||0||5||5 || colspan=2 align=center| Manhattan team, Fischer<br />played at board 7.<ref>], p. 122</ref> ||100%
	|1957||New Jersey State Open||East Orange||6||1||0||1||93%
	|-		|-
	|1957||North Central Open||Milwaukee||4||2||1||5–11||71%		|align=left|New Western Open||align=left|Milwaukee||5||2||1||6||8 || 6th–12th||122 ||75%
	|-		|-
	|1957||U.S. Championship||New York||8||5||0||1||81%		|align=left|US Junior Championship||align=left|San Francisco||8||1||0||8½||9 || 1st||33 ||94%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|US Open||align=left|Cleveland<ref>Fischer won first game on forfeit.</ref>||7/<br />8<ref name="USOpen57"/>||4||0||9/<br />10||11/<br />12<ref name="USOpen57"/> ||1st<br /> (on tie-break)|| 176||82%/<br />83%<ref name="USOpen57">Includes one forfeit: 10/12 (9/11 with 11 games played)</ref>
	|1958||Interzonal||Portorož||6||12||2||5–6||60%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|New Jersey State Open||align=left|]||6||1||0||6½||7 || 1st||81 ||93%
	|1958||U.S. Championship||New York||6||5||0||1||77%
	|-		|-
	|1959||Mar del Plata|| ||8||4||1||3–4||71%		|align=left|North Central Open||align=left|Milwaukee||4||2||1||5||7 || 5th–11th||93 ||71%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||8||5||0||10½||13 || 1st||14||81%
	|1959||Santiago|| ||7||1||4||4–7||63%
	|-		|-
			|1958||align=left|Interzonal||align=left|]||6||12||2||12||20 || 5th–6th||21||60%
	|1959||Zürich|| ||8||5||2||3–4||70%
	|-		|-
			|1958||align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||6||5||0||8½||11 || 1st||12||77%
	|1959||Candidates||Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade||8||9||11||5–6||45%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=5|1959||align=left|Mar del Plata International ||align=left|Mar del Plata ||8||4||1||10||13 || 3rd–4th||14||71%
	|1959||U.S. Championship||New York||7||4||0||1||82%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|International ||align=left|] ||7||1||4||7½||12 || 4th–7th||13||63%
	|1960||Mar del Plata|| ||13||1||1||1–2||90%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Zürich International||align=left|Zürich ||8||5||2||10½||15 || 3rd–4th||16||70%
	|1960||Buenos Aires|| ||3||11||5||13–16||45%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Candidates||align=left|Bled, Zagreb & Belgrade||8||9||11||12½||28 || 5th–6th||8||45%
	|1960||Reykjavík|| ||3||1||0||1||88%
	|-		|-
	|1960||U.S. Championship||New York||7||4||0||1||82%		|align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||7||4||0||9||11 || 1st||12||82%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=4|1960||align=left|Mar del Plata International ||align=left| Mar del Plata ||13||1||1||13½||15 || 1st–2nd||16||90%
	|1961||Bled|| ||8||11||0||2||71%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Buenos Aires International||align=left|Buenos Aires ||3||11||5||8½||19 || 13th–16th||20||45%
	|1962||Interzonal||Stockholm ||13||9||0||1||80%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|3-player double round-robin ||align=left|Reykjavík ||3||1||0||3½||4 || 1st||3||88%
	|1962||Candidates||Curaçao ||8||12||7||4||52%
	|-		|-
	|1962||U.S. Championship||New York||6||4||1||1||73%		|align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||7||4||0||9||11 || 1st||12||82%
	|-		|-
			|1961||align=left| "Tournament of the century" ||align=left| Bled|||8||11||0||15||19 || 2nd||20||71%
	|1963||Western Open||Bay City||7||1||0||1||94%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=3|1962||align=left|Interzonal||align=left|Stockholm ||13||9||0||17½||22 || 1st||23||80%
	|1963||New York State Open||Poughkeepsie||7||0||0||1||100%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Candidates||align=left|] ||8||12||7||14||27 || 4th||8||52%
	|1963||U.S. Championship||New York||11||0||0||1||100%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||6||4||1||8||11 || 1st||12||73%
	|1965||Capablanca Memorial||Havana||12||6||3||2–4||71%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=3|1963||align=left|Western Open||align=left|]||7||1||0||7½|| 8 || 1st|| 161<ref>''Chess Life'', 1963, pp. 196–99.</ref> ||94%
	|1965||U.S. Championship||New York||8||1||2||1||77%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|New York State Open||align=left|]||7||0||0||7||7 || 1st||57 ||100%
	|1966||Piatigorsky Cup||Santa Monica||7||8||3||2||61%
	|-		|-
	|1966||U.S. Championship||New York||8||3||0||1||86%		|align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||11||0|||0|||11||11 || 1st||12||100%
	|-		|-
			|1965||align=left|Capablanca Memorial||align=left|Havana||12||6||3||15||21 || 2nd–4th||22||71%
	|1967||Monaco|| ||6||2||1||1||78%
	|-		|-
	|1967||Skopje|| ||11||3||2||1||79%		|1965||align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||8||1||2||8½||11 || 1st||12||77%
	|-		|-
			|1966||align=left|Piatigorsky Cup||align=left|Santa Monica||7||8||3||11||18 || 2nd||10||61%
	|1967||Interzonal||Sousse ||7||3||0||withdrew||85%
	|-		|-
	|1968||Metropolitan League||New York||1||0||0||unknown||100%		|1966||align=left|US Championship||align=left|New York||8||3||0||9½||11 || 1st||12||86%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=3|1967||align=left|Monaco International||align=left| Monte Carlo ||6||2||1||7||9 || 1st||10||78%
	|1968||Netanya|| ||10||3||0||1||88%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|International||align=left|Skopje ||12||3||2||13½||17 || 1st||18||79%
	|1968||Vinkovci|| ||9||4||0||1||85%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|Interzonal||align=left|] ||7||3||0||8½||10 || withdrew||22 ||85%
	|1970||Rovinj/Zagreb|| ||10||6||1||1||76%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=3|1968||align=left|International||align=left|] ||10||3||0||11½||13 || 1st||14||88%
	|1970||Buenos Aires|| ||13||4||0||1||88%
	|-		|-
			|align=left|International||align=left|] ||9||4||0||11||13 || 1st||14||85%
	|1970||Interzonal||Palma de Mallorca ||15<ref>includes one game where opponent was reluctant to play and resigned on the first move</ref>||7||1||1||80%
			|-
			|align=left|Metropolitan League<br /> (team event)||align=left|New York||1||0||0||1||1 || colspan=2 align=center|Manhattan team, Fischer<br />played only one game. ||100%
			|-
			|rowspan=4|1970||align=left|Blitz (5-minute games)||align=left| ] ||17||4||1||19||22 || 1st||12||86%
			|-
			|align=left|Tournament of Peace ||align=left|] & Zagreb ||10||6||1||13||17 || 1st||18||76%
			|-
			|align=left|Buenos Aires International||align=left|Buenos Aires ||13||4||0||15||17 || 1st||18||88%
			|-
			|align=left|Interzonal||align=left|Palma de Mallorca<ref name=IZ70>includes one game where opponent refused to play and resigned on the first move</ref> ||15||7||1||18½||23 || 1st||24||80%
			|-
			|1971||align=left|Manhattan CC Blitz<ref>]</ref> ||align=left| New York || 21 || 1 || 0 || 21½ || 22 || 1st || 12 || 98%
	|}		|}
	===Matches===		===Matches===
	{| class="wikitable"		{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
	|+Match record<ref>''Bobby Fischer for Beginners'', by Renzo Verwer, 2010, p. 118</ref><ref>Wade & O'Connell ''BFCG'' Doubleday 1972, p.11.</ref><ref>Müller 2009, p. 400.</ref>		|+Match record<ref name=Verwer/><ref>], p. 11.</ref><ref>], p. 400.</ref>
			|-
			!Year!!Opponent!!Location!!Match!!Wins!!Draws!!Losses!!Result!!Score!!Percentage
			|-
			|1957||]||New York||2-game exhibition match ||0||1||1||lost||½–1½||25%
	|-		|-
			|1957||]||New York||5-game training match || 2 || 3 || 0<ref>John Donaldson, The World of Bobby Fischer, 2020, p. 129</ref> ||won||3½–1½||70%<ref>], pp. 51–52.</ref>
	!Year!!Opponent!!Location!!Tournament!!Wins!!Draws!!Losses!!result!!Percentage
	|-		|-
	|1957||]||New York||match||0||1||1||lost||25%		|1957||]||New York|| ||5||2||1||won||6–2||75%
	|-		|-
	|1957||]||New York||training match||?||?||0||won||70%<ref>Donaldson & Tangborn 1999, pp. 51-52.</ref>		|1958||]||Belgrade|| 2-game training match||0||2||0||tied||1–1||50%
	|-		|-
	|1957||]||New York||match||5||2||1||won||75%		|1958||]||Belgrade|| ||2||1||1||won||2½–1½||63%
	|-		|-
	|1958||]||Belgrade||training match||0||2||0||tied||50%		|1961||]||New York &<br /> Los Angeles|| 16-game match ||2||7||2||unfinished||5½–5½||50%
	|-		|-
	|1958||]||Belgrade||match||2||1||1||won||63%		|1970||]||Belgrade||USSR vs. World Match||2||2||0||won||3–1||75%
	|-		|-
	|1961||]||New York & Los Angeles||match||2||7||2||unfinished||50%		|rowspan=3|1971||]||Vancouver|| Candidates quarterfinal||6||0||0||won||6–0||100%
	|-		|-
	|1971||]||Vancouver||Candidates||6||0||0||won||100%		|]||Denver||Candidates semifinal||6||0||0||won||6–0||100%
	|-		|-
	|1971||]||Denver||Candidates||6||0||0||won||100%		|Tigran Petrosian||Buenos Aires|| Candidates final||5||3||1||won||6½–2½||72%
	|-		|-
			|1972||]||Reykjavík|| World Championship<ref>Fischer lost second game on forfeit</ref>||7||11||3||won||12½–8½||60%<ref>Includes one forfeit : 12½/21</ref><br />/63%<ref>Only played games counted: 12½/20</ref>
	|1971||]||Buenos Aires||Candidates||5||3||1||won||72%
	|-		|-
			|rowspan=2|1992||] ||Sveti Stefan || training match<ref>John Donaldson, ''Bobby Fischer and his World'', 2020, p. 556-577.</ref> ||6||3||1||won||7½–2½ ||75%
	|1972||]||Reykjavík||World Championship||7||11||3<ref>includes one forfeit</ref>||won||63%
	|-		|-
	|1992||]||Sveti Stefan & Belgrade||match||10||15||5||won||58%		|Boris Spassky||Sveti Stefan<br /> & Belgrade|| Unofficial rematch||10||15||5||won||10–5<ref name=match1992/>||58%<ref>Includes all games</ref><br />/67%<ref name=match1992>Only decisive games counted; percentage = won ÷ (won+lost).</ref>
	|}		|}
	===Team events===		===International Team events===
	{| class="wikitable"		{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
	|+Team events<ref name="verwer116"/>		|+International Team events record<ref name=Verwer/>
	|-		|-
	!Year!!Event!!Location!!Wins!!Draws!!Losses!!Opponent!!Board!!Individual ranking!!team ranking!!Individual Percentage		!Year!!Event!!Location!!Board!!Opponents!!Wins!!Draws!!Losses!!Points!!Games!!Individual<br /> ranking!!Team<br /> ranking!!Individual <br />percentage
	|-		|-
	|1960||14th Olympiad||Leipzig||10||6||2||various||1||Bronze||Silver||72%		|1960||align=left|14th Olympiad||align=left|Leipzig||1||align=left|various||10||6||2||13||18||Bronze||Silver||72%
	|-		|-
			|1960||align=left|Berlin vs USA Match ||align=left|] ||1 ||align=left|]<ref>John Donaldson, ''Bobby Fischer and his World'', Siles Press, 2020, p. 202.</ref> ||1||0||0||1||1||Game won|| Team won || rowspan=2|100%<br /> (1 game)
	|1962||15th Olympiad||Varna||8||6||3||various||1||Eighth||Fourth||65%
	|-		|-
			|1962||align=left|Poland vs USA Match||align=left|]||1||align=left|]||1||0||0||1||1||Game won||Team won
	|1966||17th Olympiad||Havana||14||2||1||various||1||Silver||Silver||88%
	|-		|-
			|1962||align=left|15th Olympiad||align=left|Varna||1||align=left|various||8||6||3||11||17||Eighth||Fourth||65%
	|1970||USSR vs World||Belgrade||2||2||0||Tigran Petrosian||2||won individual match||team lost||75%
	|-		|-
	|1970||19th Olympiad||Siegen||8||4||1||various||1||Silver||Fourth||77%		|1966||align=left|17th Olympiad||align=left|Havana||1||align=left|various||14||2||1||15||17||Silver||Silver||88%
			|-
			|1970||align=left|USSR vs. World Match||align=left|Belgrade||2||align=left|Tigran Petrosian||2||2||0||3||4|| best world<br /> team result||Team lost||75%
			|-
			|1970||align=left|19th Olympiad||align=left|Siegen||1||align=left|various||8||4||1||10||13||Silver||Fourth||77%
	|}		|}
	==Notable games==		==Notable games==
			{{AN chess|pos=secright}}
	* "]". At just 13 years old, Fischer played in a bold ] style.
			*] vs. Fischer, New York 1956; ], 5.Bf4 (D92), {{chessAN|0–1}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008361 |title=Donald Byrne vs. Robert James Fischer, New York 1956 |website=] }}</ref> Played when Fischer was 13 years old, "this game appeared in chess magazines around the world, provoking the delight of the public and the amazement of the experts."<ref>], p. 213.</ref> It was dubbed "]" by ] in '']''.<ref>'']'', December 1956, p. 374.</ref>
	* From an almost symmetrical position, Fischer as Black beats a strong grandmaster in ]—"a game that was immediately recognized as an all-time classic".<ref>Brady 1973, p. 74.</ref>
			*] vs. Fischer, Bled 1961; ], ], Mar del Plata Variation (E98), {{chessAN|½–½}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044007 |title=Svetozar Gligoric vs. Robert James Fischer, Bled 1961 |website=] }}</ref> "A genuine drawn masterpiece" according to ].<ref>], p. 281.</ref> ] rated it as one of "The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century".<ref>{{cite book|author=Andy Soltis|author-link=Andrew Soltis|title=The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked|date=2006|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=0-7864-2741-8}}</ref>{{parabr}}
	* Even Petrosian, the master of defense, was not able to bear the pressure of Fischer's rooks.
			{{Chess diagram small
	* One of the most admired and important games of the match.
			|tright
	* Botvinnik called this game "the highest creative achievement of Fischer". He resolved a drawish opposite-colored bishops endgame by sacrificing his bishop and trapping his own rook. "Then five passed pawns struggled with the white rook. Nothing similar had been seen before in chess".<ref>Soltis 2003, p. 271.</ref>
			|Gligorić vs. Fischer, Bled 1961
			|rd| |bd| | |rd|kd|
			| |pd| |qd| | | |
			|pd| | |nl| | |pd|pd
			| | |pd|pl| | | |
			| | |pl|bd|nl| | |
			| | | |ql| |pl|nd|
			|pl|pl| | |bl| |kl|pl
			|rl| | | | |rl| |
			|Position after 22...Nxg3
			|reverse=true
			}}
			{{block indent |1=1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.exf5 Nxf5 12.f3 Nf6 13.Nf2 Nd4 14.Nfe4 Nh5 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.g3 h6 17.Be3 c5 18.Bxd4 exd4 19.Nb5 a6 20.Nbxd6 d3 21.Qxd3 Bd4+ 22.Kg2 Nxg3 ({{em|diagram}}) 23.Nxc8 Nxf1 24.Nb6 Qc7 25.Rxf1 Qxb6 26.b4 Qxb4 27.Rb1 Qa5 28.Nxc5 Qxc5 29.Qxg6+ Bg7 30.Rxb7 Qd4 31.Bd3 Rf4 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Qg6 ½–½}}
			{{clear right}}
			*] vs. Fischer, 1963/64 US Championship; ], 0–1;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008419 |title=Robert Eugene Byrne vs. Robert James Fischer, 1963/64 US Championship, New York |website=] }}</ref> . From an almost {{chessgloss|symmetry|symmetrical}} position, Fischer beats a strong international master in {{chessgloss|miniature|just 21 moves}}—"a game that was immediately recognized as an all-time classic".<ref>], p. 74.</ref>{{parabr}}
			{{Chess diagram small
			|tright
			|Byrne vs. Fischer, 1963/64 US Championship
			|rd| | |qd|rd| |kd|
			|pd| | | | |pd|bd|pd
			|bd|pd| | | | |pd|
			| | | |pd| | | |
			| | | | | | | |
			|bl|pl|nl| |nd| |pl|
			|pl| | |ql|nl| |bl|pl
			|rl| | |rl| | |kl|
			|Position after 18.Qd2
			|reverse=true
			}}
			{{block indent |1=1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e3 0-0 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.0-0 b6 10.b3 Ba6 11.Ba3 Re8 12.Qd2 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Rfd1 Nd3 15.Qc2 Nxf2 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Kg1 Nxe3 18.Qd2 ({{em|diagram}}) Nxg2 19.Kxg2 d4 20.Nxd4 Bb7+ 21.Kf1 Qd7 0–1}}
			{{clear right}}
			*Fischer vs. ], Vancouver Candidates Final 1971; 4th match game, ], ] (B47), {{chessAN|1–0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044361 |title=Robert James Fischer vs. Mark Taimanov, Candidates Quarterfinal, Vancouver 1971 |website=] }}</ref> Fischer's patient and accurate handling of bishop vs. knight, first in the rook and minor piece ], and then after rooks were {{chessgloss|exchanged}}, has become a staple of endgame instructional literature.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Danny Kopec |author2=Daniel Kostovetsky |name-list-style=amp |date=March 2014 |title=The Fischer Ending |magazine=Chess Life |pages=39–43 }}</ref>{{parabr}}
			{{Chess diagram small
			|tright
			|Fischer vs. Taimanov, Vancouver Candidates Final 1971
			| | | | | | | |rd
			| |pd| |kd| |pd|pd|
			|pd| | | | |nd| |pd
			| | |pd| | | | |
			| | | | |rl|pl| |
			| | | | | | |pl|
			|pl|pl|pl| | | |bl|pl
			| | | | | | |kl|
			|Position after 23...Kxd7
			}}
			{{block indent |1=1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qc7 5.Nc3 e6 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Bc5 10.Bf4 d6 11.Qd2 h6 12.Rad1 e5 13.Be3 Bg4 14.Bxc5 dxc5 15.f3 Be6 16.f4 Rd8 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 e4 19.Rfe1 Rxd5 20.Rxe4+ Kd8 21.Qe2 Rxd1+ 22.Qxd1+ Qd7 23.Qxd7+ Kxd7 ({{em|diagram}}) 24.Re5 b6 25.Bf1 a5 26.Bc4 Rf8 27.Kg2 Kd6 28.Kf3 Nd7 29.Re3 Nb8 30.Rd3+ Kc7 31.c3 Nc6 32.Re3 Kd6 33.a4 Ne7 34.h3 Nc6 35.h4 h5 36.Rd3+ Kc7 37.Rd5 f5 38.Rd2 Rf6 39.Re2 Kd7 40.Re3 g6 41.Bb5 Rd6 42.Ke2 Kd8 43.Rd3 Kc7 44.Rxd6 Kxd6 45.Kd3 Ne7 46.Be8 Kd5 47.Bf7+ Kd6 48.Kc4 Kc6 49.Be8+ Kb7 50.Kb5 Nc8 51.Bc6+ Kc7 52.Bd5 Ne7 53.Bf7 Kb7 54.Bb3 Ka7 55.Bd1 Kb7 56.Bf3+ Kc7 57.Ka6 Ng8 58.Bd5 Ne7 59.Bc4 Nc6 60.Bf7 Ne7 61.Be8 Kd8 62.Bxg6 Nxg6 63.Kxb6 Kd7 64.Kxc5 Ne7 65.b4 axb4 66.cxb4 Nc8 67.a5 Nd6 68.b5 Ne4+ 69.Kb6 Kc8 70.Kc6 Kb8 71.b6 1–0}}
			{{clear right}}
			*Fischer vs. ], Buenos Aires Candidates Final 1971; 7th match game, ], ] (B42), 1–0.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044351|title=Robert James Fischer vs. Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, Candidates Final, Buenos Aires 1971|website=]}}</ref> Fischer's unconventional choice of 22.Nxd7+, exchanging a well-posted knight for an apparently passive bishop, has been widely praised.<ref>], p. 264. "This is perhaps Fischer's most famous and instructive move and is still being cited today. Annotating a Short–Svidler game from the 2002 Russia-World match, the magazine ''64'' commented that even a superbly placed Black knight on an open file will interfere with heavy pieces and therefore should be removed in 'the classic example of the seventh game of the Fischer–Petrosian match'."</ref> However, in 2020 ]-assisted analysis by ] and ] readers came to the conclusion that 22.a4 wins, while 22.Nxd7+ only draws against correct defense.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/solution-of-the-endgame-riddle-was-fischer-s-22-nxd7-winning | author=Karsten Müller | title=Solution of the endgame riddle: Was Fischer's 22.Nxd7 winning? | website=chessbase.com | date=November 26, 2020 | access-date=December 10, 2020 }}</ref> {{parabr}}
			{{Chess diagram small
			|tright
			|Fischer vs. Petrosian, Buenos Aires Candidates Final 1971
			|rd| | | | |kd| |
			|rd| | |bd| |pd|pd|pd
			|pd| | | | |nd| |
			| | |nl|pd|rl| | |
			| |pl| | | | | |
			| | | |bl| |pl| |
			|pl| | | | | |pl|pl
			|rl| | | | | |kl|
			|Position after 21...Bd7
			}}
			{{block indent |1=1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.0-0 d5 8.c4 Nf6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.exd5 exd5 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Qa4+ Qd7 13.Re1 Qxa4 14.Nxa4 Be6 15.Be3 0-0 16.Bc5 Rfe8 17.Bxe7 Rxe7 18.b4 Kf8 19.Nc5 Bc8 20.f3 Rea7 21.Re5 Bd7 ({{em|diagram}}) 22.Nxd7+ Rxd7 23.Rc1 Rd6 24.Rc7 Nd7 25.Re2 g6 26.Kf2 h5 27.f4 h4 28.Kf3 f5 29.Ke3 d4+ 30.Kd2 Nb6 31.Ree7 Nd5 32.Rf7+ Ke8 33.Rb7 Nxf4 34.Bc4 1–0}}
			{{clear right}}
			*Fischer vs. ], ]; 6th match game, ], ] (D59), 1–0;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044366 |title=Robert James Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, World Championship Match (1972), Reykjavik, rd 6 |website=] }}</ref> ]. Fischer called this game his best of the match.<ref>], p. 438.</ref> ] had told Spassky about the strong move 14...Qb7 during their preparation, but Spassky had forgotten the advice and played 14...a6. Geller won with 14...Qb7 against ] in the AVRO 1973 tournament.<ref>{{cite book |title=Avro Schaaktoernooi 1973 |first=Max |last=Euwe |date=1973 |publisher=Unieboek |language=nl |isbn=9026922205}}</ref>
			*Boris Spassky vs. Fischer, World Chess Championship 1972; 13th match game, ], ], Alburt Variation (B04), 0–1;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1128889 |title=Boris Spassky vs. Robert James Fischer, World Championship Match (1972), Reykjavik, rd 13 |website=Chessgames.com }}</ref> ]. Botvinnik called this game "the highest creative achievement of Fischer". He resolved a drawish ] by sacrificing his bishop and trapping his own rook. "Then five passed pawns struggled with the white rook. Nothing similar had been seen before in chess."<ref>], p. 271.</ref>
			*]; 1st match game, ], ] (C95), 1–0;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1129672 |title=Robert James Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, Fischer–Spassky (1992), Sveti Stefan & Belgrade, rd 1 |website=] }}</ref> ]. Fischer's "fine" victory in his first competitive game in 20 years "made a great impression on the chess world", although in Kasparov's view, Spassky's play was below the standard of the leading grandmasters of the time.<ref>], p. 488.</ref>
			==See also==
			{{Portal|Chess|right=yes}}
			*]
			* ]
			* ]
			==Notes==
			{{notelist}}
	==References==		==References==
			{{Reflist}}
	'''Notes'''
	{{Reflist|30em}}
			===Bibliography===
			{{main|Bibliography of works on Bobby Fischer}}
	'''Bibliography'''
	{{Refbegin|30em}}		{{Refbegin|30em}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Alexander
	|last=Alexander|first=C. H. O'D.|authorlink=Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander		|last=Alexander|first=C. H. O'D.|author-link=Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander
	|title=Fischer v. Spassky		|title=Fischer v. Spassky
	|year=1972		|year=1972
	|publisher=Vintage		|publisher=Vintage
	|isbn=0-394-71830-5		|isbn=978-0-394-71830-9
	}}		}}
	* {{Cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Benko
			|last1=Benko|first1=Pal|author-link=Pal Benko
	|last=Andersen|first=Christopher|authorlink=Christopher Andersen
			|last2=Silman|first2=Jeremy|author-link2=Jeremy Silman
	|title=Barbra: The Way She Is
	|year=2006
	|publisher=HarperCollins
	|isbn=978-0-06-056256-4
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Benko|first=Pal|authorlink=Pal Benko
	|last2=Silman|first2=Jeremy|authorlink2=Jeremy Silman
	|title=Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions		|title=Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions
	|year=2003		|year=2003
	|publisher=Siles Press		|publisher=Siles Press
	|isbn=1-890085-08-1		|isbn=978-1-890085-08-7
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Bisguier
	|last=Bisguier|first=Arthur|authorlink=Arthur Bisguier		|last1=Bisguier|first1=Arthur|author-link=Arthur Bisguier
	|last2=Soltis|first2=Andrew|authorlink2=Andrew Soltis		|last2=Soltis|first2=Andrew|author-link2=Andrew Soltis
	|title=American Chess Masters from Morphy to Fischer		|title=American Chess Masters from Morphy to Fischer
	|year=1974		|year=1974
	|publisher=Macmillan		|publisher=Macmillan
	|isbn=0-02-511050-0		|isbn=978-0-02-511050-2
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Bohm
	|last=Böhm|first=Hans		|last1=Böhm|first1=Hans
	|last2=Jongkind|first2=Kees		|last2=Jongkind|first2=Kees
	|title=Bobby Fischer: The Wandering King		|title=Bobby Fischer: The Wandering King
	|year=2003		|year=2003
	|publisher=Batsford		|publisher=Batsford
	|isbn=0-7134-8935-9		|isbn=978-0-7134-8935-4
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Brady1965
	|last=Brady|first=Frank|authorlink=Frank Brady (writer)		|last=Brady|first=Frank|author-link=Frank Brady (writer)
	|title=Profile of a Prodigy		|title=Profile of a Prodigy
	|year=1965		|year=1965
Line 712:		Line 1,096:
	|id=OCLC 2574422		|id=OCLC 2574422
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Brady1973
	|last=Brady|first=Frank		|last=Brady|first=Frank
	|title=Profile of a Prodigy		|title=Profile of a Prodigy
Line 720:		Line 1,104:
	|id=OCLC 724113		|id=OCLC 724113
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Brady2011
	|last=Brady		|last=Brady
	|first=Frank		|first=Frank
	|title=Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness		|title=Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness
	|publisher=]		|publisher=]
	|year=2011		|year=2011
	|edition=1st		|edition=1st
	|isbn=0-307-46390-7}}		|isbn=978-0-307-46390-6}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Bronstein
	|last=Bronstein|first=David|authorlink=David Bronstein		|last1=Bronstein|first1=David|author-link=David Bronstein
	|last2=Fürstenberg|first2=Tom		|last2=Fürstenberg|first2=Tom
	|title=The Sorcerer's Apprentice		|title=The Sorcerer's Apprentice
	|year=2009		|year=2009 |orig-year=1995
	|edition=2nd		|edition=2nd
	|publisher=New in Chess		|publisher=New in Chess
	|isbn=978-90-5691-272-7		|isbn=978-90-5691-272-7
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Byrne
	|last=Byrne|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Byrne (chess player)		|last1=Byrne|first1=Robert|author-link=Robert Byrne (chess player)
	|last2=Nei|first2=Ivo		|last2=Nei|first2=Ivo
	|title=Both Sides of the Chessboard		|title=Both Sides of the Chessboard
	|year=1974		|year=1974
	|publisher=Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Company		|publisher=Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Company
	|isbn=0-8129-0379-X		|isbn=978-0-8129-0379-9
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Collins
	|last=Byrne|first=Robert		|last=Collins|first=John W.|author-link=John W. Collins
	|title=Anatoly Karpov: The Road to the World Chess Championship
	|year=1976
	|publisher=Bantam Books
	|isbn=0-553-02876-6
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Cafferty|first=Bernard|authorlink=Bernard Cafferty
	|title=Candidates Matches 1971
	|year=1972
	|publisher=The Chess Player
	}}
	*{{Cite book |authorlink=Irving Chernev |first=Irving |last=Chernev |year=1995 |title=Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games |location=New York |publisher=Dover |isbn=0-486-28674-6 |pages=127–142 }}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Chess Digest
	|title=Bobby Fischer: His Games and His Openings 1969 through 1971
	|year=1971
	|publisher=Chess Digest
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Collins|first=John W.|authorlink=John W. Collins
	|title=My Seven Chess Prodigies		|title=My Seven Chess Prodigies
	|year=1974		|year=1974
	|publisher=Simon and Schuster		|publisher=Simon and Schuster
	|isbn=0-671-21941-3		|isbn=978-0-671-21941-3
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book
	|last=DeLucia|first=David		|last1=DeLucia|first1=David
	|title=David DeLucia's Chess Library: A Few Old Friends
	|edition=2nd
	|year=2007
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=DeLucia|first=David
	|last2=DeLucia|first2=Alessandra		|last2=DeLucia|first2=Alessandra
	|title=Bobby Fischer Uncensored		|title=Bobby Fischer Uncensored
	|year=2009		|year=2009
			|ref = DeLucia2009
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Denker
	|last=Denker|first=Arnold|authorlink=Arnold Denker		|last1=Denker|first1=Arnold|author-link=Arnold Denker
	|last2=Parr|first2=Larry|authorlink2=Larry Parr (editor)		|last2=Parr|first2=Larry|author-link2=Larry Parr (editor)
	|title=The Bobby Fischer I Knew and Other Stories		|title=The Bobby Fischer I Knew and Other Stories
	|year=1995		|year=1995
	|publisher=Hypermodern Press		|publisher=Hypermodern Press
	|isbn=1-886040-18-4		|isbn=978-1-886040-18-2
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=DiFelice2010
	|last=Di Felice|first=Gino		|last=Di Felice|first=Gino
	|title=Chess Results, 1956–1960: A Comprehensive Record With 1,390 Tournament Crosstables and 142 Match Scores, With Sources		|title=Chess Results, 1956–1960: A Comprehensive Record With 1,390 Tournament Crosstables and 142 Match Scores, With Sources
	|year=2010		|year=2010
	|publisher=McFarland		|publisher=McFarland
	|isbn=0-786-44803-2		|isbn=978-0-7864-4803-6
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=DiFelice2013a
	|last=Di Felice|first=Gino		|last=Di Felice|first=Gino
	|title=Chess Results, 1961–1963: A Comprehensive Record with 938 Tournament Crosstables and 108 Match Scores, with Sources		|title=Chess Results, 1961–1963: A Comprehensive Record with 938 Tournament Crosstables and 108 Match Scores, with Sources
	|year=2013a		|year=2013a
	|publisher=McFarland		|publisher=McFarland
	|isbn=0-786-47572-2		|isbn=978-0-7864-7572-8
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=DiFelice2013b
	|last=Di Felice|first=Gino		|last=Di Felice|first=Gino
	|title=Chess Results, 1964–1967: A Comprehensive Record with 1,204 Tournament Crosstables and 158 Match Scores, with Sources		|title=Chess Results, 1964–1967: A Comprehensive Record with 1,204 Tournament Crosstables and 158 Match Scores, with Sources
	|publisher=McFarland		|publisher=McFarland
	|year=2013b		|year=2013b
	|isbn=0-786-47573-0		|isbn=978-0-7864-7573-5
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=DiFelice2013c
	|last=Di Felice|first=Gino		|last=Di Felice|first=Gino
	|title=Chess Results, 1968–1970: A Comprehensive Record with 854 Tournament Crosstables and 161 Match Scores, with Sources		|title=Chess Results, 1968–1970: A Comprehensive Record with 854 Tournament Crosstables and 161 Match Scores, with Sources
	|publisher=McFarland		|publisher=McFarland
	|year=2013c		|year=2013c
	|isbn=0-786-47574-9		|isbn=978-0-7864-7574-2
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Donaldson
			|last1=Donaldson|first1=John|author-link=John Donaldson (chess player)
	|last=Divinsky|first=Nathan|authorlink=Nathan Divinsky
	|title=The Batsford Chess Encyclopedia
	|year=1990
	|publisher=Batsford
	|isbn=0-7134-6214-0
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Donaldson|first=John|authorlink=John Donaldson (chess player)
	|last2=Tangborn|first2=Eric		|last2=Tangborn|first2=Eric
	|title=The Unknown Bobby Fischer		|title=The Unknown Bobby Fischer
			|url=https://archive.org/details/The_Unknown_Bobby_Fischer|year=1999
	|year=1999
	|publisher=International Chess Enterprises		|publisher=International Chess Enterprises
	|isbn=1-879479-85-0		|isbn=978-1-879479-85-2
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Donner
	|last=Donaldson|first=John		|last=Donner|first=J. H.|author-link=Jan Hein Donner
	|title=A Legend on the Road: Bobby Fischer's 1964 Simul Tour
	|year=2005
	|publisher=International Chess Enterprises
	|isbn=1-888690-25-9
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Donner|first=J. H.|authorlink=Jan Hein Donner
	|title=The King: Chess Pieces		|title=The King: Chess Pieces
	|year=2006		|year=2006
	|publisher=New in Chess		|publisher=New in Chess
	|isbn=90-5691-171-6		|isbn=978-90-5691-171-3
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Edmonds
	|last=Edmonds|first=David|authorlink=David Edmonds (philosopher)		|last1=Edmonds|first1=David|author-link=David Edmonds (philosopher)
	|last2=Eidinow|first2=John		|last2=Eidinow|first2=John
	|title=Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time		|title=Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time
Line 857:		Line 1,202:
	|isbn=978-0-06-051025-1		|isbn=978-0-06-051025-1
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=F1959
	|last=Estrin|first=Yakov|authorlink=Yakov Estrin
	|last2=Glaskov|first2=I.B.
	|title=Play the King's Gambit, Volume 1
	|year=1982
	|publisher=Pergamon Press
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Euwe|first=Max|authorlink=Max Euwe
	|title=Bobby Fischer-The Greatest?
	|year=1979
	|publisher=Sterling Publishing Co.
	|isbn=978-0-8069-4950-5
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Fischer|first=Bobby		|last=Fischer|first=Bobby
	|title=Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess		|title=Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess
	|year=1959		|year=2008 |orig-year=1959
	|publisher=Simon and Schuster		|publisher=Simon and Schuster, Ishi Press
			|isbn=978-0-923891-46-6
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=F1969
	|last=Fischer|first=Bobby
	|title=A Bust to the King's Gambit
	|work=]
	|date=Summer 1961
	|pages=3–9
	}}
	*{{cite web
	|url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/bust.pdf
	|author=Fischer, Bobby
	|title=A Bust to the King's Gambit
	|year=1961
	|format=PDF
	|accessdate=November 8, 2009
	|publisher=ChessCafe.com
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Fischer|first=Bobby		|last=Fischer|first=Bobby
	|title=My 60 Memorable Games		|title=My 60 Memorable Games
	|year=1969, 2008		|year=2008 |orig-year=1969
	|publisher=Simon and Schuster, Faber and Faber, Batsford		|publisher=Simon and Schuster, Faber and Faber, Batsford
	|isbn=190638830X		|isbn=978-1-906388-30-0
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=F1982
	|last=Fischer|first=Bobby		|last=Fischer|first=Bobby
	|title=I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!		|title=I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!
	|year=1982		|year=1982
	|publisher=Printer		|publisher=Printer
			|asin=B0006Y6EHI
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite magazine|ref=Ginzburg
	|last=Forbes|first=Cathy|authorlink=Cathy Warwick		|last=Ginzburg|first=Ralph|author-link=Ralph Ginzburg
	|title=The Polgar Sisters: Training or Genius?
	|year=1992
	|publisher=Henry Holt
	|isbn=0-8050-2426-3
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Georgiev|first=Kiril|authorlink=Kiril Georgiev
	|last2=Kolev|first2=Atanas|authorlink2=Atanas Kolev
	|title=The Sharpest Sicilian: A Black Repertoire with 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6
	|year=2007
	|publisher=Simolini 94 (Sofia, Bulgaria)
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Ginzburg|first=Ralph|authorlink=Ralph Ginzburg
	|title=Portrait of a Genius as a Young Chess Master		|title=Portrait of a Genius as a Young Chess Master
	|work=]		|magazine=]
	|date=January 1962		|date=January 1962
	|pages=49–55		|pages=49–55
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		*{{cite book|ref=Gligoric
	|last=Gligorić|first=Svetozar|authorlink=Svetozar Gligorić		|last=Gligorić|first=Svetozar|author-link=Svetozar Gligorić
	|title=Fischer vs. Spassky: World Chess Championship Match 1972		|title=Fischer vs. Spassky: World Chess Championship Match 1972
	|year=1972		|year=2012 |orig-year=1972
	|publisher=Simon and Schuster		|publisher=Ishi
			|isbn=978-4-87187-514-1
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Whyld
			|last1=Hooper|first1=David|author-link=David Vincent Hooper
	|last=Gligorić|first=Svetozar
			|last2=Whyld|first2=Kenneth|author-link2=Kenneth Whyld
	|title=Play the Nimzo-Indian Defense
			|title=The Oxford Companion to Chess
	|year=1985
			|year=1992 |orig-year=1984
	|publisher=Pergamon Press
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Gligorić
	|first=Svetozar
	|title=Shall We Play Fischerandom Chess?
	|publisher=]
	|year=2002
	|isbn=0-7134-8764-X}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Golombek|first=Harry|authorlink=Harry Golombek
	|title=Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess
	|year=1977
	|publisher=Crown Publishers
	|isbn=0-517-53146-1
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Hansen|first=Carsten|authorlink=Carsten Hansen (chess player)
	|title=The Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3
	|year=2002
	|publisher=Gambit Publications
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Harkness|first=Kenneth|authorlink=Kenneth Harkness
	|title=Official Chess Handbook
	|year=1967
	|publisher=David McKay
	|isbn=
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Hartston|first=William|authorlink=William Hartston
	|title=The Kings of Chess
	|year=1985
	|publisher=Harper & Row
	|isbn=0-06-015358-X
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Hooper|first=David|authorlink=David Vincent Hooper
	|last2=Whyld|first2=Kenneth|authorlink2=Kenneth Whyld
	|title=]
	|year=1992
	|edition=2nd		|edition=2nd
	|publisher=Oxford University Press		|publisher=Oxford University Press
	|isbn=0-19-280049-3		|isbn=978-0-19-280049-7
			|title-link=The Oxford Companion to Chess}}
			* {{cite book|ref=Karpov
			|last=Karpov|first=Anatoly
			|title=Karpov on Karpov: Memoirs of a Chess World Champion
			|year=1991 |orig-year=1990
			|edition=1st English
			|publisher=Macmillan
			|isbn=978-0-689-12060-2
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Kasparov
	|last=Johnson|first=Daniel
	|title=White King and Red Queen: How the Cold War Was Fought on the Chessboard
	|year=2007
	|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
	|isbn=0-54-713337-5
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Kashdan|first=Isaac|authorlink=Isaac Kashdan
	|title=Second Piatigorsky Cup: International Grandmaster Tournament held in Santa Monica, California August, 1966
	|year=1977
	|publisher=Dover
	|isbn=0-486-23572-6
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Kasparov|first=Garry|authorlink=Garry Kasparov
	|last2=Keene|first2=Raymond|authorlink2=Raymond Keene
	|title=Batsford Chess Openings 2
	|year=1989
	|publisher=Collier Books
	|isbn=0-02-033991-7
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Kasparov|first=Garry		|last=Kasparov|first=Garry
	|title=], Volume IV		|title=My Great Predecessors, Volume IV
	|year=2004		|year=2004
	|publisher=Gloucester Publishers		|publisher=Gloucester Publishers
	|isbn=1-85744-395-0		|isbn=978-1-85744-395-0
			|title-link=My Great Predecessors
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Kazic
	|last=Kasparov|first=Garry
	|title=], Volume V
	|year=2006
	|publisher=Gloucester Publishers
	|isbn=1-85744-404-3
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Kaufman|first=Larry|authorlink=Larry Kaufman
	|title=The Chess Advantage in Black and White
	|year=2004
	|publisher=David McKay
	|isbn=0-8129-3571-3
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Kažić		|last=Kažić
	|first=B.M.		|first=B.M.
Line 1,031:		Line 1,268:
	|title=International Championship Chess: A Complete Record of FIDE Events		|title=International Championship Chess: A Complete Record of FIDE Events
	|publisher=Pitman		|publisher=Pitman
	|isbn=0-273-07078-9		|isbn=978-0-273-07078-8
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Lombardy
	|last=Korchnoi|first=Viktor|authorlink=Viktor Korchnoi		|last=Lombardy|first=William|author-link=William Lombardy
	|last2=Zak|first2=Vladimir
	|title=The King's Gambit
	|year=1975
	|publisher=Chess Digest
	|isbn=
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Kundera|first=Milan|authorlink=Milan Kundera
	|title=The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
	|year=reprint edition, 1999
	|publisher=Harper
	|isbn=0-060-93214-7
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Levy|first=David|authorlink=David Levy (chess player)
	|title=How Fischer Plays Chess
	|year=1975
	|publisher=R.H.M. Press
	|isbn=0-89058-011-1
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Linder|first=I.M.
	|last2=Linder|first2=V.I.
	|title=Dve zhizni Grossmeistera Alatortseva (The Two Lives of Grandmaster Alatortsev)
	|year=1994
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Lombardy|first=William|authorlink=William Lombardy
	|title=Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life		|title=Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life
	|year=2011		|year=2011
	|publisher=Russell Enterprises		|publisher=Russell Enterprises
	|isbn=978-1-93649-022-6		|isbn=978-1-936490-22-6
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Mednis
	|last=Mayer|first=Steve		|last=Mednis|first=Edmar|author-link=Edmar Mednis
	|title=Bishop versus Knight: The Verdict
	|year=1997
	|publisher=Batsford
	|isbn=1-879479-73-7
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Mednis|first=Edmar|authorlink=Edmar Mednis
	|title=How to Beat Bobby Fischer		|title=How to Beat Bobby Fischer
	|year=1997		|year=1997 |orig-year=1997
	|edition=2nd		|edition=2nd
	|publisher=Dover		|publisher=Dover
	|isbn=0-486-29844-2		|isbn=978-0-486-29844-3
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Muller
	|last=Müller|first=Karsten|authorlink=Karsten Müller
	|last2=Lamprecht|first2=Frank|authorlink2=Frank Lamprecht
	|title=Fundamental Chess Endings
	|year=2001
	|publisher=]
	|isbn=1-901983-53-6
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Müller|first=Karsten		|last=Müller|first=Karsten
	|title=Bobby Fischer: The Career and Complete Games of the American World Chess Champion		|title=Bobby Fischer: The Career and Complete Games of the American World Chess Champion
			|url=https://archive.org/details/bobbyfischer_careercompletegamesamericanworldchesschampion
	|year=2009		|year=2009
	|publisher=Russell Enterprises, Inc.		|publisher=Russell Enterprises, Inc.
	|isbn=978-1-888690-68-2		|isbn=978-1-888690-68-2
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Plisetsky
			|last1=Plisetsky|first1=Dmitry
	|last=Pachman|first=Luděk|authorlink=Luděk Pachman
	|title=Pachman's Decisive Games
	|year=1975
	|publisher=Pitman
	|isbn=0-273-31812-8
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Pliester|first=Leon
	|title=Rubinstein Complex of the Nimzo-Indian Defense
	|year=1995
	|publisher=International Chess Enterprises
	|isbn=978-1-879479-25-8
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Plisetsky|first=Dmitry
	|last2=Voronkov|first2=Sergey		|last2=Voronkov|first2=Sergey
	|title=Russians versus Fischer		|title=Russians versus Fischer
Line 1,119:		Line 1,300:
	|year=2005		|year=2005
	|publisher=]		|publisher=]
	|isbn=1-85744-380-2		|isbn=978-1-85744-380-6
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Schonberg
			|last=Schonberg
	|last=Polugevsky|first=Lev|authorlink=Lev Polugaevsky
			|first=Harold C.
	|last2=Piket|first2=Jeroen|authorlink2=Jeroen Piket
			|author-link=Harold C. Schonberg
	|last3=Guéneau|first3=Christophe
			|title=Grandmasters of Chess
	|title=Sicilian Love: Lev Polugaevsky Chess Tournament, Buenos Aires 1994
	|year=1995		|year=1973
	|publisher=New in Chess		|publisher=J.B. Lippincott
	|isbn=90-71689-99-9		|isbn=978-0-397-01004-2
			|url=https://archive.org/details/grandmastersofch00haro
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Seirawan
			|last1=Seirawan|first1=Yasser|author-link=Yasser Seirawan
	|last=Ponterotto|first=Joseph G.
	|title=A Psychobiography of Bobby Fischer
	|year=2012
	|publisher=Charles C. Thomas
	|isbn=978-0-398-08742-5
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Roberts|first=Richard
	|last2=Schonberg|first2=Harold C.|authorlink2=Harold Schonberg
	|last3=Horowitz|first3=I. A.|authorlink3=Al Horowitz
	|last4=Reshevsky|first4=Samuel|authorlink4=Samuel Reshevsky
	|title=Fischer/Spassky: The New York Times Report on the Chess Match of the Century
	|year=1972
	|publisher=Bantam Books
	|isbn=
	}}
	*{{cite book
	|last=Saidy|first=Anthony|authorlink=Anthony Saidy
	|last2=Lessing|first2=Norman|authorlink2=Norman Lessing
	|title=The World of Chess
	|year=1974
	|publisher=Random House
	|isbn=0-394-48777-X
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Seirawan|first=Yasser|authorlink=Yasser Seirawan
	|last2=Stefanovic|first2=George		|last2=Stefanovic|first2=George
	|title=No Regrets: Fischer-Spassky 1992		|title=No Regrets: Fischer-Spassky 1992
	|year=1992		|year=1992
	|publisher=International Chess Enterprises		|publisher=International Chess Enterprises
	|isbn=1-879479-09-5		|isbn=978-1-879479-09-8
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Soltis2003
	|last=Silman|first=Jeremy|authorlink=Jeremy Silman		|last=Soltis|first=Andrew
	|title=Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master
	|year=2007
	|publisher=Siles Press
	|isbn=1-890085-10-3
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Soltis|first=Andrew|authorlink=Andrew Soltis
	|title=Chess Lists Second Edition
	|year=2002
	|publisher=McFarland and Company
	|isbn=0-7864-1296-8
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Soltis|first=Andrew
	|title=Bobby Fischer Rediscovered		|title=Bobby Fischer Rediscovered
			|url=https://archive.org/details/bobbyfischerrediscovered
	|year=2003		|year=2003
	|publisher=Batsford		|publisher=Batsford
	|isbn=0-7134-8846-8		|isbn=978-0-7134-8846-3
	}}		}}
	*{{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Steiner
	|last=Sunnucks|first=Anne|authorlink=Anne Sunnucks		|last=Steiner|first=George|author-link=George Steiner
			|title=Fields of Force
	|year=1970
			|year=1974 |orig-year=1973
	|title=The Encyclopaedia of Chess
	|publisher=St. Martin's Press		|publisher=Viking
	|isbn=978-0-7091-4697-1}} <!-- ISBN is for the second edition -->		|isbn=978-0-670-31178-1
	* {{cite book
	|last=Wade|first=Robert G.|authorlink=Robert Wade (chess player)
	|last2=O'Connell|first2=Kevin J.|authorlink2=Kevin O'Connell (chess player)
	|title=The Games of Robert J. Fischer
	|year=1972
	|edition=1st
	|publisher=]
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Wade
	|last=Wade|first=Robert G. <!--|authorlink=Robert Wade (chess player) -->		|last1=Wade|first1=Robert G.|author-link=Robert Wade (chess player)
	|last2=O'Connell|first2=Kevin J. <!--|authorlink2=Kevin O'Connell (chess player) -->		|last2=O'Connell|first2=Kevin J.|author-link2=Kevin O'Connell (chess player)
	|title=Bobby Fischer's Chess Games		|title=Bobby Fischer's Chess Games
	|year=1972		|year=1973 |orig-year=1972
	|publisher=Doubleday
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Wade|first=Robert G. <!--|authorlink=Robert Wade (chess player) -->
	|last2=O'Connell|first2=Kevin J. <!--|authorlink2=Kevin O'Connell (chess player) -->
	|title=Bobby Fischer's Chess Games
	|year=1973
	|edition=2nd		|edition=2nd
	|publisher=Doubleday		|publisher=Doubleday
	|isbn=0-385-08627-X		|isbn=978-0-385-08627-1
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book		* {{cite book|ref=Waitzkin
	|last=Waitzkin|first=Fred|authorlink=Fred Waitzkin		|last=Waitzkin|first=Fred|author-link=Fred Waitzkin
	|title=Mortal Games: The Turbulent Genius of Garry Kasparov		|title=Mortal Games: The Turbulent Genius of Garry Kasparov
	|year=1993		|year=1993
	|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons		|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons
	|isbn=0-399-13827-7		|isbn=978-0-399-13827-0
	}}		}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Watson|first=John|authorlink=John L. Watson
	|title=Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since ]
	|year=1998
	|publisher=Gambit Publications
	|isbn=1-901983-07-2
	}}
	* {{cite book
	|last=Watson|first=John <!--|authorlink=John L. Watson -->
	|title=Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 1
	|year=2006
	|publisher=Gambit Publications
	|isbn=978-1-904600-60-2
	}}
	* {{cite web
	|last=Winter|first=Edward|authorlink=Edward Winter (chess historian)
	|year=1993
	|title=''Instant Fischer''
	|url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/instant.html
	|publisher=chesshistory.com
	|accessdate=June 24, 2009
	}}
	* {{cite web
	|last=Winter|first=Edward <!--|authorlink=Edward Winter (chess historian) -->
	|year=2009
	|title=''Chess Note'' 6189. ''Bobby Fischer Uncensored''
	|url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/index.html#6189._Bobby_Fischer_Uncensored
	|publisher=chesshistory.com
	|accessdate=June 24, 2009
	}}
	{{Refend}}
	==Further reading==
	{{Refbegin|30em}}
	* ''Bobby Fischer: A Study of His Approach to Chess'' by Elie Agur, Cadogan 1992, ISBN 1-85744-001-3.
	* ''Bobby Fischer vs. the Rest of the World'' by ], Stein & Day, 1974, ISBN 0-8128-1618-8 (prizewinning behind-the-scenes account of the Spassky-Fischer match)
	* ''Bobby Fischer – wie er wirklich ist: Ein Jahr mit dem Schachgenie'' by Petra Dautov, ISBN 3-9804281-3-3.
	* ''World Champion Fischer'' (], CD-ROM) – includes all of Fischer's games (about half annotated), biographical notes, and an examination by ] of Fischer's annotations in ''My Sixty Memorable Games''.
	* ''World Chess Champions'' by ], editor, 1981, ISBN 0-08-024094-1
	* ''Bobby Fischer for Beginners'', by Renzo Verwer, 2010, ], ISBN 978-90-5691-315-1
	* {{Cite journal
	| last = Gardner | first = Martin |authorlink=Martin Gardner
	| year = 2009
	| month = September
	| title = Bobby Fischer: Genius and Idiot
	| journal = ]
	| volume = 33
	| issue = 5
	| pages = 22–23
	| url = http://www.csicop.org/si/show/bobby_fischer_genius_and_idiot
	| accessdate = Nov. 26, 2010
	}}
	{{Refend}}		{{Refend}}
	==External links==		==External links==
			{{Sister project links|d=Q41314|n=Category:Bobby Fischer|c=Category:Bobby Fischer|s=no|wikt=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|b=no}}
	* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
			*
	* {{Commons category-inline|Bobby Fischer}}
	* {{chessgames player|19233}}		* {{Chessgames player|19233}}
	* , TIME magazine, 26 January 2008		* compiled by ]
	* , ''NY Times'', February 8, 2008
	* The Guardian, 19 January 2008
	* The Atlantic, December 2002
	*
	* ],
	*
	*		*
			*
	*
			* , Rene Chun, '']'', December 2002
	* ] initiated discussion about Fischer comeback to the arena of competitive chess
			*
	* '''', an essay by Garry Kasparov in the ''], February 2011.
	*
	*
	* BBC News, 4 July 2011
	{{S-start}}		{{S-start}}
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	| title=]		| title=]
	| years=1958–1960		| years=1958–1960
	| after=]		| after=]
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	{{Succession box		{{Succession box
	| before=]		| before=]
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	|title= Youngest chess grandmaster ever		|title= ]
	|years= 1958–1991		|years= 1958–1991
	|after= ]		|after= ]
	}}		}}
	{{S-end}}		{{S-end}}
			{{Bobby Fischer}}
			{{Chess|sp=us}}
	{{World Chess Championships}}		{{World Chess Championships}}
			{{American chess grandmasters}}
			{{Authority control}}
	{{Authority control|PND=118533479|LCCN=n/79/49340|VIAF=46772260|TSURL=viaf/46772260}}
	{{Persondata
	|NAME = Fischer, Bobby
	|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Fischer, Robert James
	|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Chess Grandmaster
	|DATE OF BIRTH = March 9, 1943
	|PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ], United States
	|DATE OF DEATH = January 17, 2008
	|PLACE OF DEATH = ], Iceland
	}}
	{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Bobby}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Bobby}}
	]		]
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			]
	{{Link GA|fr}}
	{{Link GA|simple}}
	{{Link GA|sr}}

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Latest revision as of 17:57, 15 January 2025

American chess grandmaster (1943–2008) For the English footballer, see Bobby Fisher (footballer). For other people with similar names, see Bob Fischer and Bob Fisher.

Bobby Fischer
Fischer in 1972
Full name	Robert James Fischer
Country	United States
Born	(1943-03-09)March 9, 1943 Chicago, Illinois, US
Died	January 17, 2008(2008-01-17) (aged 64) Reykjavík, Iceland
Title	Grandmaster (1958)
World Champion	1972–1975
Peak rating	2785 (July 1972)
Peak ranking	No. 1 (July 1971)

Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11–0 score, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. Qualifying for the 1972 World Championship, Fischer swept matches with Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen by 6–0 scores. After winning another qualifying match against Tigran Petrosian, Fischer won the title match against Boris Spassky of the USSR, in Reykjavík, Iceland. Publicized as a Cold War confrontation between the US and USSR, the match attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.

In 1975, Fischer refused to defend his title when an agreement could not be reached with FIDE, chess's international governing body, over the match conditions. Consequently, the Soviet challenger Anatoly Karpov was named World Champion by default. Fischer subsequently disappeared from the public eye, though occasional reports of erratic behavior emerged. In 1992, he reemerged to win an unofficial rematch against Spassky. It was held in Yugoslavia, which was under a United Nations embargo at the time. His participation led to a conflict with the US government, which warned Fischer that his participation in the match would violate an executive order imposing US sanctions on Yugoslavia. The US government ultimately issued a warrant for his arrest; subsequently, Fischer lived as an émigré. In 2004, he was arrested in Japan and held for several months for using a passport that the US government had revoked. Eventually, he was granted Icelandic citizenship by a special act of the Icelandic parliament, allowing him to live there until his death in 2008.

Fischer made numerous lasting contributions to chess. His book My 60 Memorable Games, published in 1969, is regarded as essential reading in chess literature. In the 1990s, he patented a modified chess timing system that added a time increment after each move, now a standard practice in top tournament and match play. He also invented Fischer random chess, also known as Chess960, a chess variant in which the initial position of the pieces is randomized to one of 960 possible positions.

Fischer made numerous antisemitic statements, including Holocaust denial, despite his Jewish ancestry. His antisemitism was a major theme in his public and private remarks, and there has been speculation concerning his psychological condition based on his extreme views and eccentric behavior.

Early life

Bobby Fischer was born at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on March 9, 1943. His mother, Regina Wender Fischer, was a US citizen, born in Switzerland; her parents were Polish Jews. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Regina became a teacher, a registered nurse, and later a physician.

After graduating from college in her teens, Regina traveled to Germany to visit her brother. It was there she met geneticist and future Nobel Prize winner Hermann Joseph Muller, who persuaded her to move to Moscow to study medicine. She enrolled at I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, where she met Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, also known as Gerardo Liebscher, a German biophysicist, whom she married in November 1933. In 1938, Hans-Gerhardt and Regina had a daughter, Joan Fischer. The reemergence of antisemitism under Stalin prompted Regina to go with Joan to Paris, where Regina became an English teacher. The threat of a German invasion led her and Joan to go to the United States in 1939. Regina and Hans-Gerhardt had already separated in Moscow, although they did not officially divorce until 1945.

At the time of her son's birth, Regina was homeless and shuttled to different jobs and schools around the country to support her family. She engaged in political activism and raised both Bobby and Joan as a single parent.

In 1949, Regina moved the family to Manhattan and the following year to Brooklyn, New York City, where she studied for her master's degree in nursing and subsequently began working in that field.

Paul Neményi as Fischer's father

In 2002, Peter Nicholas and Clea Benson of The Philadelphia Inquirer published an investigative report which stated that Bobby Fischer's biological father was actually Paul Neményi.

Neményi, a Hungarian mathematician and physicist of Jewish heritage, specialized in continuum mechanics. His work applied geometrical solutions to fluid dynamics. Like Bobby, he was a child prodigy and won the Hungarian national mathematics competition at the age of 17.

Benson and Nicholas continued their work and gathered additional evidence in court records, personal interviews, and a summary of an FBI investigation written by J. Edgar Hoover, which confirmed their earlier conclusions.

Throughout the 1950s, the FBI investigated Regina and her circle due to her supposed communist views and due to her time living in Moscow. FBI files note that Hans-Gerhardt Fischer never entered the United States, while recording that Neményi took a keen interest in Fischer's upbringing. Not only were Regina and Neményi reported to have had an affair in 1942, but Neményi made monthly child support payments to Regina and paid for Bobby's schooling until Paul Neményi's death in 1952.

Chess beginnings

In March 1949, six-year-old Bobby and his sister Joan learned how to play chess using the instructions from a set bought at a candy store. When Joan lost interest in chess and Regina did not have time to play, Fischer was left to play many of his first games against himself. When the family vacationed at Patchogue, Long Island, New York, that summer, Bobby found a book of old chess games and studied it intensely.

In 1950, the family moved to Brooklyn, first to an apartment at the corner of Union Street and Franklin Avenue and later to a two-bedroom apartment at 560 Lincoln Place. It was there that "Fischer soon became so engrossed in the game that Regina feared he was spending too much time alone." As a result, on November 14, 1950, Regina sent a postcard to the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper, seeking to place an ad inquiring whether other children of Bobby's age might be interested in playing chess with him. The paper rejected her ad, because no one could figure out how to classify it, but forwarded her inquiry to Hermann Helms, the "Dean of American Chess", who told her that Master Max Pavey, former Scottish champion, would be giving a simultaneous exhibition on January 17, 1951. Fischer played in the exhibition. Although he held on for 15 minutes, drawing a crowd of onlookers, he eventually lost to the chess master.

One of the spectators was Brooklyn Chess Club President Carmine Nigro, an American chess expert of near master strength and an instructor. Nigro was so impressed with Fischer's play that he introduced him to the club and began teaching him. Fischer noted of his time with Nigro: "Mr. Nigro was possibly not the best player in the world, but he was a very good teacher. Meeting him was probably a decisive factor in my going ahead with chess."

Nigro hosted Fischer's first chess tournament at his home in 1952. In the summer of 1955, Fischer, then 12 years old, joined the Manhattan Chess Club. Fischer's relationship with Nigro lasted until 1956, when Nigro moved away.

The Hawthorne Chess Club

In June 1956, Fischer began attending the Hawthorne Chess Club, based in master John "Jack" W. Collins's home. Collins taught chess to children, and has been described as Fischer's teacher, but Collins himself suggested that he did not actually teach Fischer, and the relationship might be more accurately described as one of mentorship.

Fischer played thousands of blitz and offhand games with Collins and other strong players, studied the books in Collins' large chess library, and ate almost as many dinners at Collins' home as his own.

Young champion

In March 1956, the Log Cabin Chess Club of West Orange, New Jersey (based in the home of the club's eccentric multi-millionaire founder and patron Elliott Forry Laucks), took Fischer on a tour to Cuba, where he gave a 12-board simultaneous exhibition at Havana's Capablanca Chess Club, winning ten games and drawing two. On this tour the club played a series of matches against other clubs. Fischer played second board, behind International Master Norman Whitaker. Whitaker and Fischer were the club's leading scorers, each scoring 5½ points out of 7 games.

Fischer experienced a "meteoric rise" in his playing strength during 1956. On the tenth national rating list of the United States Chess Federation (USCF), published on May 20, 1956, his rating was a modest 1726, over 900 points below top-rated Samuel Reshevsky (2663). Fischer's first real tournament success occurred in July 1956, when he won the US Junior Chess Championship in Philadelphia. He scored 8½/10 to become the youngest-ever Junior Champion at age 13, a record that still stands. At the 1956 US Open Chess Championship in Oklahoma City, he scored 8½/12 to tie for 4th–8th places, with Arthur Bisguier winning. In the first Canadian Open Chess Championship at Montreal 1956, he scored 7/10 to tie for 8th–12th places, with Larry Evans winning. In November, Fischer played in the 1956 Eastern States Open Championship in Washington, D.C., tying for second with William Lombardy, Nicholas Rossolimo, and Arthur Feuerstein, with Hans Berliner taking first by a half-point.

Fischer accepted an invitation to play in the Third Lessing J. Rosenwald Trophy Tournament in New York City in October 1956, a premier tournament limited to the 12 players considered the best in the US. Playing against top opposition, the 13-year-old Fischer could only score 4½/11, tying for 8th–9th place. Yet he won the brilliancy prize for his game against International Master Donald Byrne, in which Fischer sacrificed his queen to unleash an unstoppable attack. Hans Kmoch called it "The Game of the Century", writing: "The following game, a stunning masterpiece of combination play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies." According to Frank Brady, "'The Game of the Century' has been talked about, analyzed, and admired for more than fifty years, and it will probably be a part of the canon of chess for many years to come." "In reflecting on his game a while after it occurred, Bobby was refreshingly modest: 'I just made the moves I thought were best. I was just lucky.'"

In 1957, Fischer played a two-game match against former world champion Max Euwe at New York, losing ½–1½. When the US Chess Federation published its rating list in May, Fischer had the rank of Master, the youngest player to earn that title up to that point. In July, he successfully defended his US Junior title, scoring 8½/9 at San Francisco. In August, he scored 10/12 at the US Open Chess Championship in Cleveland, winning on tie-breaking points over Arthur Bisguier. This made Fischer the youngest ever US Open Champion. He won the New Jersey Open Championship, scoring 6½/7. He then defeated the young Filipino master Rodolfo Tan Cardoso 6–2 in a New York match sponsored by Pepsi-Cola.

Wins first US title

Based on Fischer's rating and strong results, the USCF invited him to play in the 1957/58 US Championship. The tournament included six-time US champion Samuel Reshevsky, defending US champion Arthur Bisguier, and William Lombardy, who in August had won the World Junior Championship. Bisguier predicted that Fischer would "finish slightly over the center mark". Despite all the predictions to the contrary, Fischer scored eight wins and five draws to win the tournament by a one-point margin, with 10½/13. Still two months shy of his 15th birthday, Fischer became the youngest ever US Champion. Since the championship that year was also the US Zonal Championship, Fischer's victory earned him the title of International Master. Fischer's victory in the US Championship qualified him to participate in the 1958 Portorož Interzonal, the next step toward challenging the World Champion.

Grandmaster, candidate, and author

In 1957, Fischer wanted to go to Moscow. At his pleading, "Regina wrote directly to the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, requesting an invitation for Fischer to participate in the 6th World Youth and Student Festival of 1957. The reply—affirmative—came too late for him to go." Regina did not have the money to pay the airfare, but in 1958, Fischer was invited onto the game show I've Got a Secret, where, thanks to Regina's efforts, the producers of the show arranged two round-trip tickets to the Soviet Union, for Bobby and his sister Joan.

Once in Russia, Fischer was invited by the Soviet Union to Moscow, where International Master Lev Abramov would serve as a guide to Bobby and his sister, Joan. Upon arrival, Fischer immediately demanded that he be taken to the Moscow Central Chess Club, where he played speed chess with "two young Soviet masters", Evgeni Vasiukov and Alexander Nikitin, winning every game. Chess author V. I. Linder writes about the impression Fischer gave grandmaster (GM) Vladimir Alatortsev when he played blitz against the Soviet masters:

Back in 1958, in the Central Chess Club, Vladimir Alatortsev saw a tall, angular 15-year-old youth, who in blitz games, crushed almost everyone who crossed his path… Alatortsev was no exception, losing all three games. He was astonished by the young American Robert Fischer's play, his fantastic self-confidence, amazing chess erudition, and simply brilliant play! Vladimir said in admiration to his wife on arriving home: "This is the future world champion!"

Fischer demanded to play against Mikhail Botvinnik, the reigning World Champion. When told that this was impossible, Fischer asked to play Paul Keres. "Finally, Tigran Petrosian was, on a semi-official basis, summoned to the club …" where he played speed games with Fischer, winning the majority. "When Bobby discovered that he wasn't going to play any formal games … he went into a not-so-silent rage", saying he was fed up "with these Russian pigs," which angered the Soviets who saw Fischer as their honored guest. It was then that the Yugoslavian chess officials offered to take in Fischer and Joan as early guests to the Interzonal. Fischer took them up on the offer, arriving in Yugoslavia to play two short training matches against masters Dragoljub Janošević and Milan Matulović. Fischer drew both games against Janošević and then defeated Matulović in Belgrade by 2½–1½.

At Portorož, Fischer was accompanied by Lombardy. The top six finishers in the Interzonal would qualify for the Candidates Tournament. Most observers doubted that a 15-year-old with no international experience could finish among the six qualifiers at the Interzonal, but Fischer told journalist Miro Radoicic, "I can draw with the grandmasters, and there are half-a-dozen patzers in the tournament I reckon to beat." Despite some bumps in the road and a problematic start, Fischer succeeded in his plan: after a strong finish, he ended up with 12/20 (+6−2=12) to tie for 5th–6th. The Soviet GM Yuri Averbakh observed,

In the struggle at the board this youth, almost still a child, showed himself to be a full-fledged fighter, demonstrating amazing composure, precise calculation and devilish resourcefulness. I was especially struck not even by his extensive opening knowledge, but his striving everywhere to seek new paths. In Fischer's play an enormous talent was noticeable, and in addition one sensed an enormous amount of work on the study of chess.

Soviet GM David Bronstein said of Fischer's time in Portorož: "It was interesting for me to observe Fischer, but for a long time I couldn't understand why this 15-year-old boy played chess so well." Fischer became the youngest person ever to qualify for the Candidates and the youngest-ever grandmaster at the time, aged 15 years, 6 months, 1 day. "By then everyone knew we had a genius on our hands."

Before the Candidates' Tournament, Fischer won the 1958/59 US Championship (scoring 8½/11). He tied for third (with Borislav Ivkov) in Mar del Plata (scoring 10/14), a half-point behind Luděk Pachman and Miguel Najdorf. He tied for 4th–6th at Santiago (scoring 7½/12) behind Ivkov, Pachman, and Herman Pilnik. At the Zürich International Tournament, spring 1959, Fischer finished a point behind future world champion Mikhail Tal and a half-point behind Yugoslavian GM Svetozar Gligorić.

Although Fischer had ended his formal education at age 16, dropping out of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, he subsequently taught himself several foreign languages, including Russian, so he could read foreign chess periodicals. According to Latvian chess master Alexander Koblencs, even he and Tal could not match the commitment that Fischer had made to chess. Recalling a conversation from the tournament:

"Tell me, Bobby," Tal continued, "what do you think of the playing style of Larissa Volpert?" "She's too cautious. But you have another girl, Dmitrieva. Her games do appeal to me!" Here we were left literally open-mouthed in astonishment. Misha and I have looked at thousands of games, but it never occurred to us to study our women players' games. How could we find the time for this?! Yet Bobby, it turns out, had found the time!

Until late 1959, Fischer "had dressed atrociously for a champion, appearing at the most august and distinguished national and international events in sweaters and corduroys." Now, encouraged by Pal Benko to dress more smartly, Fischer "began buying suits from all over the world, hand-tailored and made to order." He told journalist Ralph Ginzburg that he had 17 hand-tailored suits and that all of his shirts and shoes were handmade.

At the age of 16, Fischer finished equal fifth out of eight at the 1959 Candidates Tournament in Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade, Yugoslavia, scoring 12½/28. He was outclassed by tournament winner Tal, who won all four of their individual games. That year, Fischer released his first book of collected games: Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess, published by Simon & Schuster.

Drops out of school

Fischer's interest in chess became more important than schoolwork, to the point that "by the time he reached the fourth grade, he'd been in and out of six schools." In 1952, Regina got Bobby a scholarship (based on his chess talent and "astronomically high IQ") to Brooklyn Community Woodward. Fischer later attended Erasmus Hall High School at the same time as Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. In 1959, its student council awarded him a gold medal for his chess achievements. The same year, Fischer dropped out of high school when he turned 16, the earliest he could legally do so. He later explained to Ralph Ginzburg, "You don't learn anything in school."

When Fischer was 16, his mother moved out of their apartment to pursue medical training. Her friend Joan Rodker, who had met Regina when the two were "idealistic communists" living in Moscow in the 1930s, believes that Fischer resented his mother for being mostly absent, a communist activist, and an admirer of the Soviet Union, and that this led to his hatred for the Soviets. In letters to Rodker, Fischer's mother stated her desire to pursue her own "obsession" of training in medicine and wrote that her son would have to live in their Brooklyn apartment without her: "It sounds terrible to leave a 16-year-old to his own devices, but he is probably happier that way". The apartment was on the edge of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood that had one of the highest homicide and general crime rates in New York City. Despite the alienation from her son, Regina, in 1960, protested the practices of the American Chess Foundation and staged a five-hour protest in front of the White House, urging President Dwight D. Eisenhower to send an American team to that year's chess Olympiad (set for Leipzig, East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain) and to help support the team financially.

US Championships

Fischer played in eight US Championships, winning all of them by at least a one-point margin. His results were as follows:

US Champ.	Score	Place	Margin of victory	Percentage	Age
1957/58	10½/13 (+8−0=5)	First	1 point	81%	14
1958/59	8½/11 (+6−0=5)	First	1 point	77%	15
1959/60	9/11 (+7−0=4)	First	1 point	82%	16
1960/61	9/11 (+7−0=4)	First	2 points	82%	17
1962/63	8/11 (+6−1=4)	First	1 point	73%	19
1963/64	11/11 (+11−0=0)	First	3½ points	100%	20
1965	8½/11 (+8−2=1)	First	1 point	77%	22
1966/67	9½/11 (+8−0=3)	First	2 points	86%	23

Fischer missed the 1961/62 Championship (he was preparing for the 1962 Interzonal), and there was no 1964/65 event. In his eight US Chess Championships, Fischer lost only three games; to Edmar Mednis in the 1962/63 event, and in consecutive rounds to Samuel Reshevsky, and Robert Byrne in the 1965 championship, culminating in a total score of 74/90 (61 wins, 26 draws, 3 losses).

Olympiads

Fischer refused to play in the 1958 Munich Olympiad when his demand to play first board ahead of Samuel Reshevsky was rejected. Some sources claim that 15-year-old Fischer was unable to arrange leave from attending high school. Fischer later represented the United States on first board at four Men's Chess Olympiads, winning two individual Silver and one individual Bronze medals:

Olympiad	Individual result	Percentage	US team result	Percentage
Leipzig 1960	13/18 (Bronze)	72.2%	Silver	72.5%
Varna 1962	11/17 (Eighth)	64.7%	Fourth	68.1%
Havana 1966	15/17 (Silver)	88.2%	Silver	68.4%
Siegen 1970	10/13 (Silver)	76.9%	Fourth	67.8%

Out of four Men's Chess Olympiads, Fischer scored +40−7=18, for 49/65: 75.4%. In 1966, Fischer narrowly missed the individual gold medal, scoring 88.23% to World Champion Tigran Petrosian's 88.46%. He played four games more than Petrosian, faced stiffer opposition, and would have won the gold if he had accepted Florin Gheorghiu's draw offer, rather than declining it and suffering his only loss.

At the 1962 Varna Olympiad, Fischer predicted that he would defeat Argentinian GM Miguel Najdorf in 25 moves. Fischer actually did it in 24, becoming the only player to beat Najdorf in the tournament. Najdorf lost the game while employing the very opening variation named after him: the Sicilian Najdorf.

Fischer had planned to play for the US at the 1968 Lugano Olympiad, but backed out when he saw the poor playing conditions. Both former world champion Tigran Petrosian and Belgian-American International Master George Koltanowski, the leader of the American team that year, felt that Fischer was justified in not participating in the Olympiad. According to Lombardy, Fischer's non-participation was due to Reshevsky's refusal to yield first board.

In 1974, Fischer was willing to play the 21st Chess Olympiad in Nice, France, but FIDE rejected his demand to play in a separate room with only Fischer, his opponent, and spectators.

1960–61

In 1960, Fischer tied for first place with Soviet star Boris Spassky at the strong Mar del Plata Tournament in Argentina, winning by a two-point margin, scoring 13½/15 (+13−1=1), ahead of David Bronstein. Fischer lost only to Spassky; this was the start of their lifelong friendship and rivalry.

Fischer experienced a rare failure in his competitive career at the Buenos Aires Tournament (1960), finishing with 8½/19 (+3−5=11), far behind winners Viktor Korchnoi and Samuel Reshevsky with 13/19. According to Larry Evans, Fischer's first sexual experience was with a girl to whom Evans introduced him during the tournament. Pal Benko said that Fischer did horribly in the tournament "because he got caught up in women and sex. Afterwards, Fischer said he'd never mix women and chess together, and kept the promise." Fischer concluded 1960 by winning a small tournament in Reykjavík with 4½/5, and defeating Klaus Darga in an exhibition game in West Berlin.

In 1961, Fischer started a 16-game match with Reshevsky, split between New York and Los Angeles. Reshevsky, 32 years Fischer's senior, was considered the favorite since he had far more match experience and had never lost a set match. After 11 games and a tie score (two wins apiece with seven draws), the match ended prematurely due to a scheduling dispute between Fischer and match organizer and sponsor Jacqueline Piatigorsky. Fischer forfeited 2 games, and even though the score was now 7½ to 5½, with 8½ required to win, Reshevsky was declared the winner, by default, and received the winner's share of the prize fund.

Fischer was second in a super-class field, behind only former world champion Tal, at Bled, 1961. Yet, Fischer defeated Tal head-to-head for the first time in their individual game, scored 3½/4 against the Soviet contingent, and finished as the only unbeaten player, with 13½/19 (+8−0=11).

1962: success, setback, accusations of Soviet collusion

Fischer won the 1962 Stockholm Interzonal by a 2½-point margin, going undefeated, with 17½/22 (+13−0=9). He was the first non-Soviet player to win an Interzonal since FIDE instituted the tournament in 1948. Russian GM Alexander Kotov said of Fischer:

I have discussed Fischer's play with Max Euwe and Gideon Stahlberg. All of us, experienced 'tournament old-timers', were surprised by Fischer's endgame expertise. When a young player is good at attacking or at combinations, this is understandable, but a faultless endgame technique at the age of 19 is something rare. I can recall only one other player who at that age was equally skillful at endgames – Vasily Smyslov.

Fischer's victory made him a favorite for the Candidates Tournament in Curaçao. Yet, despite his result in the Interzonal, Fischer only finished fourth out of eight with 14/27 (+8−7=12), far behind Tigran Petrosian (17½/27), Efim Geller, and Paul Keres (both 17/27). Tal fell very ill during the tournament, and had to withdraw before completion. Fischer, a friend of Tal's, was the only contestant who visited him in the hospital.

Accuses Soviets of collusion

See also: World Chess Championship 1963

Following his failure in the 1962 Candidates, Fischer asserted in a Sports Illustrated article, that three of the five Soviet players (Tigran Petrosian, Paul Keres, and Efim Geller) had a prearranged agreement to quickly draw their games against each other in order to conserve their energy for playing against Fischer. It is generally thought that this accusation is correct. Fischer stated that he would never again participate in a Candidates' tournament, since the format, combined with the alleged collusion, made it impossible for a non-Soviet player to win. Following Fischer's article, FIDE, in late 1962, voted to implement a radical reform of the playoff system, replacing the Candidates' tournament with a format of one-on-one knockout matches—the format that Fischer would dominate in 1971.

Fischer defeated Bent Larsen in a summer 1962 exhibition game in Copenhagen for Danish TV. Later that year, Fischer beat Bogdan Śliwa in a team match against Poland in Warsaw.

In the 1962/63 US Championship, Fischer lost to Edmar Mednis in round one. It was his first loss ever in a US Championship. Bisguier was in excellent form, and Fischer caught up to him only at the end. Tied at 7–3, the two met in the final round. Bisguier stood well in the middlegame, but blundered, handing Fischer his fifth consecutive US championship.

Semi-retirement in the mid-1960s

Influenced by ill will over the aborted 1961 match against Reshevsky, Fischer declined an invitation to play in the 1963 Piatigorsky Cup tournament in Los Angeles, which had a world-class field. He instead played in the Western Open in Bay City, Michigan, which he won with 7½/8. In August–September 1963, Fischer won the New York State Championship at Poughkeepsie, with 7/7, his first perfect score, ahead of Arthur Bisguier and James Sherwin.

In the 1963/64 US Championship, Fischer achieved his second perfect score, this time against the top-ranked chess players in the country. This result brought Fischer heightened fame, including a profile in Life magazine. Sports Illustrated diagrammed each of the 11 games in its article, "The Amazing Victory Streak of Bobby Fischer". Such extensive chess coverage was groundbreaking for the top American sports magazine. His 11–0 win in the 1963/64 Championship is the only perfect score in the history of the tournament, and one of about ten perfect scores in high-level chess tournaments ever. David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld called it "the most remarkable achievement of this kind". Fischer recalls: "Motivated by my lopsided result (11–0!), Dr. Kmoch congratulated Evans (the runner up) on 'winning' the tournament… and then he congratulated me on 'winning the exhibition'."

Fischer's 21-move victory against Robert Byrne won the brilliancy prize for the tournament. Byrne wrote:

The culminating combination is of such depth that, even at the very moment at which I resigned, both grandmasters who were commenting on the play for the spectators in a separate room believed I had a won game!

International Master Anthony Saidy recalled his last round encounter with the undefeated Fischer:

Going into the final game I certainly did not expect to upset Fischer. I hardly knew the opening but played simply, and he went along with the scenario, opting for a N-v-B endgame with a minimal edge. In the corridor, Evans said to me, "Good. Show him we're not all children."

At adjournment, Saidy saw a way to force a draw, yet he had already "sealed a different, wrong move", and lost. "Chess publications around the world wrote of the unparalleled achievement. Only Bent Larsen, always a Fischer detractor, was unimpressed: 'Fischer was playing against children.'"

Fischer, eligible as US Champion, decided against his participation in the 1964 Amsterdam Interzonal, taking himself out of the 1966 World Championship cycle, even after FIDE changed the format of the eight-player Candidates Tournament from a round-robin to a series of knockout matches, which eliminated the possibility of collusion. Instead, Fischer embarked on a tour of the United States and Canada from February through May, playing a simultaneous exhibition, and giving a lecture in each of more than 40 cities. He had a 94% winning percentage over more than 2,000 games. Fischer declined an invitation to play for the US in the 1964 Olympiad in Tel Aviv.

Successful return

Fischer wanted to play in the Capablanca Memorial Tournament in Havana in August and September 1965. Since the State Department refused to endorse Fischer's passport as valid for visiting Cuba, he proposed, and the tournament officials and players accepted, a unique arrangement: Fischer played his moves from a room at the Marshall Chess Club, which were then transmitted by teleprinter to Cuba. Luděk Pachman observed that Fischer "was handicapped by the longer playing session resulting from the time wasted in transmitting the moves, and that is one reason why he lost to three of his chief rivals." The tournament was an "ordeal" for Fischer, who had to endure eight-hour and sometimes even twelve-hour playing sessions. Despite the handicap, Fischer tied for second through fourth places, with 15/21 (+12−3=6), behind former world champion Vasily Smyslov, whom Fischer defeated in their individual game. The tournament received extensive media coverage.

In December, Fischer won his seventh US Championship (1965), with the score of 8½/11 (+8−2=1), despite losing to Robert Byrne and Reshevsky in the eighth and ninth rounds. Fischer also reconciled with Mrs. Piatigorsky, accepting an invitation to the very strong second Piatigorsky Cup (1966) tournament in Santa Monica. Fischer began disastrously and after eight rounds was tied for last with 3/8. He then staged a strong comeback, scoring 7/8 in the next eight rounds. In the end, World Chess Championship finalist Boris Spassky edged him out by a half point, scoring 11½/18 to Fischer's 11/18 (+7−3=8).

Now aged 23, Fischer would win every match or tournament he completed for the rest of his life.

Fischer won the US Championship (1966/67) for the eighth and final time, ceding only three draws (+8−0=3). In March–April and August–September, Fischer won strong tournaments at Monte Carlo, with 7/9 (+6−1=2), and Skopje, with 13½/17 (+12−2=3). In the Philippines, Fischer played nine exhibition games against master opponents, scoring 8½/9.

Withdrawal while leading Interzonal

Fischer's win in the 1966/67 US Championship qualified him for the next World Championship cycle.

At the 1967 Interzonal, held at Sousse, Tunisia, Fischer scored 8½ points in the first 10 games, to lead the field. His observance of the Worldwide Church of God's seventh-day Sabbath was honored by the organizers but deprived Fischer of several rest days, which led to a scheduling dispute, causing Fischer to forfeit two games in protest and later withdraw, eliminating himself from the 1969 World Championship cycle. Communications difficulties with the highly inexperienced local organizers were also a significant factor since Fischer knew little French and the organizers had very limited English. No one in Tunisian chess had previous experience running an event of this stature.

Since Fischer had completed fewer than half of his scheduled games, all of his results were annulled, meaning players who had played Fischer had those games cancelled, and the scores nullified from the official tournament record.

Second semi-retirement

In 1968, Fischer won tournaments at Netanya, with 11½/13 (+10−0=3), and Vinkovci, with 11/13 (+9−0=4), by large margins. Fischer then stopped playing for the next 18 months, except for a win against Anthony Saidy in a 1969 New York Metropolitan League team match. That year, Fischer (assisted by GM Larry Evans) released his second book of collected games: My 60 Memorable Games, published by Simon & Schuster. The book "was an immediate success".

1969–1972: Road to World Champion

In 1970, Fischer began a new effort to become World Champion. His dramatic march toward the title made him a household name and made chess front-page news for a time. He won the title in 1972, but forfeited it three years later.

Road to the World Championship

The 1969 US Championship was also a zonal qualifier, with the top three finishers advancing to the Interzonal. Fischer, however, had sat out the US Championship because of disagreements about the tournament's format and prize fund. Benko, one of the three qualifiers, agreed to give up his spot in the Interzonal to give Fischer another shot at the World Championship; Lombardy, who would have been "next in line" after Benko, did the same.

In 1970 and 1971, Fischer "dominated his contemporaries to an extent never seen before or since".

Before the Interzonal, in March and April 1970, the world's best players competed in the USSR vs. Rest of the World match in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, often referred to as "the Match of the Century". There was much surprise when Fischer decided to participate.

With Evans as his second, Fischer flew to Belgrade with the intention of playing first board for the rest of the world. Danish GM Bent Larsen, however, due to his recent tournament victories, demanded to play first board instead of Fischer, even though Fischer had the higher Elo rating. To the surprise of everyone, Fischer agreed. Although the USSR team eked out a 20½–19½ victory, "On the top four boards, the Soviets managed to win only one game out of a possible sixteen. Bobby Fischer was the high scorer for his team, with a 3–1 score against Petrosian (two wins and two draws)." "Fischer left no doubt in anyone's mind that he had put his temporary break from the tournament circuit to good use. Petrosian was almost unrecognizable in the first two games, and by the time he had collected himself, although pressing his opponent, he could do no more than draw the last two games of the four-game set".

After the USSR versus the Rest of the World Match, the unofficial World Championship of Lightning Chess (5-minute games) was held at Herceg Novi. " figured on teaching Fischer a lesson and on bringing him down a peg or two". Petrosian and Tal were considered the favorites, but Fischer overwhelmed the super-class field with 19/22 (+17−1=4), far ahead of Tal (14½), Korchnoi (14), Petrosian (13½), and Bronstein (13). Fischer lost only one game (to Korchnoi, who was also the only player to achieve an even score against him in the double round robin tournament). Fischer "crushed such blitz kings as Tal, Petrosian and Vasily Smyslov by a clean score". Tal marveled that, "During the entire tournament he didn't leave a single pawn en prise!", while the other players "blundered knights and bishops galore". For Lombardy, who had played many blitz games with Fischer, Fischer's 4½-point margin of victory "came as a pleasant surprise".

In April–May 1970, Fischer won at Rovinj/Zagreb with 13/17 (+10−1=6), by a two-point margin, ahead of Gligorić, Hort, Korchnoi, Smyslov, and Petrosian. In July–August, Fischer crushed the mostly grandmaster field at Buenos Aires, winning by a 3½-point margin, scoring 15/17 (+13−0=4). Fischer then played first board for the US Team in the 19th Chess Olympiad in Siegen, where he won an individual Silver medal, scoring 10/13 (+8−1=4), with his only loss being to World Champion Boris Spassky. Right after the Olympiad, Fischer defeated Ulf Andersson in an exhibition game for the Swedish newspaper Expressen. Fischer had taken his game to a new level.

Fischer won the Interzonal (held in Palma de Mallorca in November and December 1970) with 18½/23 (+15−1=7), far ahead of Larsen, Efim Geller, and Robert Hübner, with 15/23. Fischer finished the tournament with seven consecutive wins. Setting aside the Sousse Interzonal (which Fischer withdrew from while leading), Fischer's victory gave him a string of eight consecutive first prizes in tournaments. Former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik was not, however, impressed by Fischer's results, stating: "Fischer has been declared a genius. I do not agree with this… In order to rightly be declared a genius in chess, you have to defeat equal opponents by a big margin. As yet he has not done this". Despite Botvinnik's remarks, "Fischer began a miraculous year in the history of chess".

In the 1971 Candidates matches, Fischer was set to play against Soviet grandmaster and concert pianist Mark Taimanov in the quarter-finals. The match began in mid-May in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Fischer was generally favored to win. Taimanov had reason to be confident. He was backed by the firm guidance of Botvinnik, who "had thoroughly analysed Fischer's record and put together a 'dossier' on him", from when he was in talks to play Fischer in a match "a couple of years earlier". After Fischer defeated Taimanov in the second game of the match, Taimanov asked Fischer how he managed to come up with the move 12. N1c3, to which Fischer replied "that the idea was not his—he had come across it in the monograph by the Soviet master Alexander Nikitin in a footnote". Taimanov said of this: "It is staggering that I, an expert on the Sicilian, should have missed this theoretically significant idea by my compatriot, while Fischer had uncovered it in a book in a foreign language!" With the score at 4–0, in Fischer's favor, the fifth game adjournment was a sight to behold. Schonberg explains the scene:

Taimanov came to Vancouver with two seconds, both grandmasters. Fischer was alone. He thought that the sight of Taimanov and his seconds was the funniest thing he had ever seen. There Taimanov and his seconds would sit, six hands flying, pocket sets waving in the air, while variations were being spouted all over the place. And there sat Taimanov with a confused look on his face. Just before resuming play the seconds were giving Taimanov some last-minute advice. When poor Taimanov entered the playing room and sat down to confront Fischer, his head was so full of conflicting continuations that he became rattled, left a Rook en prise and immediately resigned.

Fischer beat Taimanov by the score of 6–0. There was little precedent for such a lopsided score in a match leading to the World Championship.

Upon losing the final game of the match, Taimanov shrugged his shoulders, saying sadly to Fischer: "Well, I still have my music." As a result of his performance, Taimanov "was thrown out of the USSR team and forbidden to travel for two years. He was banned from writing articles, was deprived of his monthly stipend… the authorities prohibited him from performing on the concert platform." "The crushing loss virtually ended Taimanov's chess career."

Fischer was next scheduled to play against Danish GM Bent Larsen. "Spassky predicted a tight struggle. 'Larsen is a little stronger in spirit.'" Before the match, Botvinnik had told a Soviet television audience:

It is hard to say how their match will end, but it is clear that such an easy victory as in Vancouver will not be given to Fischer. I think Larsen has unpleasant surprises in store for , all the more since having dealt with Taimanov thus, Fischer will want to do just the same to Larsen and this is impossible.

Fischer beat Larsen by the identical score of 6–0. Robert Byrne writes: "To a certain extent I could grasp the Taimanov match as a kind of curiosity—almost a freak, a strange chess occurrence that would never occur again. But now I am at a loss for anything whatever to say… So, it is out of the question for me to explain how Bobby, how anyone, could win six games in a row from such a genius of the game as Bent Larsen". Just a year before, Larsen had played first board for the Rest of the World team ahead of Fischer, and had handed Fischer his only loss at the Interzonal. Garry Kasparov later wrote that no player had ever shown a superiority over his rivals comparable to Fischer's "incredible" 12–0 score in the two matches. Chess statistician Jeff Sonas concludes that the victory over Larsen gave Fischer the "highest single-match performance rating ever".

On August 8, 1971, while preparing for his last Candidates match with former world champion Tigran Petrosian, Fischer won the Manhattan Chess Club Rapid Tournament, scoring 21½/22 against a strong field.

Despite Fischer's results against Taimanov and Larsen, his upcoming match against Petrosian seemed a daunting task. Nevertheless, the Soviet government was concerned about Fischer. "Reporters asked Petrosian whether the match would last the full twelve games… 'It might be possible that I win it earlier,' Petrosian replied", and then stated: "Fischer's wins do not impress me. He is a great chess player but no genius." Petrosian played a strong theoretical novelty in the first game, gaining the advantage, but Fischer eventually won the game after Petrosian faltered. This gave Fischer a run of 20 consecutive wins against the world's top players (in the Interzonal and Candidates matches), a winning streak topped only by Steinitz's 25 straight wins in 1873–1882. Petrosian won the second game, finally snapping Fischer's streak. After three consecutive draws, Fischer swept the next four games to win the match 6½–2½ (+5−1=3). Sports Illustrated ran an article on the match, highlighting Fischer's domination of Petrosian as being due to Petrosian's outdated system of preparation:

Fischer's recent record raises the distinct possibility that he has made a breakthrough in modern chess theory. His response to Petrosian's elaborately plotted 11th move in the first game is an example: Russian experts had worked on the variation for weeks, yet when it was thrown at Fischer suddenly, he faced its consequences alone and won by applying simple, classic principles.

Upon completion of the match, Petrosian remarked: "After the sixth game Fischer really did become a genius. I on the other hand, either had a breakdown or was tired, or something else happened, but the last three games were no longer chess." "Some experts kept insisting that Petrosian was off form, and that he should have had a plus score at the end of the sixth game …" to which Fischer replied, "People have been playing against me below strength for fifteen years." Fischer's match results befuddled Botvinnik: "It is hard to talk about Fischer's matches. Since the time that he has been playing them, miracles have begun." "When Petrosian played like Petrosian, Fischer played like a very strong grandmaster, but when Petrosian began making mistakes, Fischer was transformed into a genius."

Fischer gained a far higher rating than any player in history up to that time. On the July 1972 FIDE rating list, his Elo rating of 2785 was 125 points above (World No. 2) Spassky's rating of 2660. His results put him on the cover of Life magazine, and allowed him to challenge World Champion Boris Spassky, whom he had never beaten (+0−3=2).

World Championship match

Main article: World Chess Championship 1972

Fischer's career-long stubbornness about match and tournament conditions was again seen in the run-up to his match with Spassky. Of the possible sites, Fischer's first choice was Belgrade, Yugoslavia, while Spassky's was Reykjavík, Iceland. For a time it appeared that the dispute would be resolved by splitting the match between the two locations, but that arrangement failed. After that issue was resolved, Fischer refused to appear in Iceland until the prize fund was increased. London financier Jim Slater donated an additional US$125,000, bringing the prize fund up to an unprecedented $250,000 ($1.82 million today) and Fischer finally agreed to play.

Before and during the match, Fischer paid special attention to his physical training and fitness, which was a relatively novel approach for top chess players at that time. Leading up to this match he conducted interviews with 60 Minutes and Dick Cavett explaining the importance of physical fitness in his preparation. He had developed his tennis skills to a good level, and played frequently during off-days in Reykjavík. He had also arranged for exclusive use of his hotel's swimming pool during specified hours, and swam for extended periods, usually late at night. According to Soviet Grandmaster Nikolai Krogius, Fischer "was paying great attention to sport, and that he was swimming and even boxing …"

The match took place in Reykjavík from July to September 1972. Fischer was accompanied by William Lombardy; besides assisting with analysis, Lombardy may have played an important role in getting Fischer to play in the match and to stay in it. The match was the first to receive an American broadcast in prime time. Fischer lost the first two games in strange fashion: the first when he played a risky pawn-grab in a drawn endgame, the second by forfeit when he refused to play the game in a dispute over playing conditions. Fischer would likely have forfeited the entire match, but Spassky, not wanting to win by default, yielded to Fischer's demands to move the next game to a back room, away from the cameras, whose presence had upset Fischer. After that game, the match was moved back to the stage and proceeded without further serious incident. Fischer won seven of the next 19 games, losing only one and drawing eleven, to win the match 12½–8½ and become the 11th World Chess Champion.

The Cold War trappings made the match a media sensation. It was called "The Match of the Century", and received front-page media coverage in the United States and around the world. Fischer's win was an American victory in a field that Soviet players – closely identified with and subsidized by the state – had dominated for the previous quarter-century. Kasparov remarked, "Fischer fits ideologically into the context of the Cold War era: a lone American genius challenges the Soviet chess machine and defeats it". Dutch Grandmaster Jan Timman calls Fischer's victory "the story of a lonely hero who overcomes an entire empire". Fischer's sister observed, "Bobby did all this in a country almost totally without a chess culture. It was as if an Eskimo had cleared a tennis court in the snow and gone on to win the world championship".

Upon Fischer's return to New York, a Bobby Fischer Day was held. He was offered numerous product endorsement offers worth "at least $5 million" ($36.4 million today), all of which he declined. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with American Olympic swimming champion Mark Spitz and also appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, as well as on a Bob Hope TV special. Membership in the US Chess Federation doubled in 1972, and peaked in 1974; in American chess, these years are commonly referred to as the "Fischer Boom". This match attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.

Forfeiture of title

Fischer was scheduled to defend his title in 1975 against Anatoly Karpov, who had emerged as his challenger. Fischer, who had played no competitive games since his World Championship match with Spassky, laid out a proposal for the match in September 1973, in consultation with FIDE official Fred Cramer. He made three principal (non-negotiable) demands:

1. The match continues until one player wins 10 games, draws not counting.
2. No limit to the total number of games played.
3. In case of a 9–9 score, the champion (Fischer) retains the title, and the prize fund is split equally.

Fischer argued that these demands were reasonable because otherwise a player who had taken the lead could trade some pieces and draw some games, coasting towards the title. This was arguably what had happened in the 1972 match (games 14–20 were all drawn), but it was a style of chess that Fischer found offensive. Under the proposed 10-win format, one would still have to play for a win.

Many observers considered Fischer's requested 9–9 clause unfair because it would require the challenger to win by at least two games (10–8). Botvinnik called the 9–9 clause "unsporting". Korchnoi, David Bronstein, and Lev Alburt considered the 9–9 clause reasonable. Korchnoi in particular stated:

Was Fischer right in demanding that the world title be protected by a two point handicap – that the challenger would be considered the winner with a 10–8 score and that the champion would retain his title in the event of a 9–9 draw? Yes, this was quite natural: the champion deserves this, not to mention the fact that further play to the first win in the event of an even score would be nothing short of a lottery – the winner in that case could not claim to have won a convincing victory.

There was also the practical issue of hosting an unlimited match. If neither player could prove their superiority and there were an endless series of draws, the cost of the match would be astronomical.

A FIDE Congress was held in 1974 during the Nice Olympiad. The delegates voted in favor of Fischer's 10-win proposal, but rejected his other two proposals, and limited the number of games in the match to 36. In response to FIDE's ruling, Fischer sent a cable to Euwe on June 27, 1974:

As I made clear in my telegram to the FIDE delegates, the match conditions I proposed were non-negotiable. Mr. Cramer informs me that the rules of the winner being the first player to win ten games, draws not counting, unlimited number of games and if nine wins to nine match is drawn with champion regaining title and prize fund split equally were rejected by the FIDE delegates. By so doing FIDE has decided against my participation in the 1975 World Chess Championship. Therefore, I resign my FIDE World Chess Championship title. Sincerely, Bobby Fischer.

The delegates responded by reaffirming their prior decisions, but did not accept Fischer's resignation and requested that he reconsider.

Due to the continued efforts of US Chess Federation officials, a special FIDE Congress was held in March 1975 in Bergen, Netherlands, in which it was accepted that the match should be of unlimited duration, but the 9–9 clause was once again rejected, by a narrow margin of 35 votes to 32. FIDE set a deadline of April 1, 1975, for Fischer and Karpov to confirm their participation in the match. No reply was received from Fischer by April 3. Thus, by default, Karpov officially became World Champion. In his 1991 autobiography, Karpov professed regret that the match had not taken place, and claimed that the lost opportunity to challenge Fischer held back his own chess development. Karpov met with Fischer several times after 1975, in friendly but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to arrange a match, since Karpov would never agree to play to 10.

Brian Carney opined in The Wall Street Journal that Fischer's victory over Spassky in 1972 left him nothing to prove, except that perhaps someone could someday beat him, and he was not interested in the risk of losing. He also opined that Fischer's refusal to recognize peers also allowed his paranoia to flower: "The world championship he won ... validated his view of himself as a chess player, but it also insulated him from the humanizing influences of the world around him. He descended into what can only be considered a kind of madness".

Bronstein felt that Fischer "had the right to play the match with Karpov on his own conditions". Years later, in his 1992 match against Spassky, Fischer similarly said that it was Karpov who refused to play against him under Fischer's conditions.

Whether Karpov could have beaten Fischer is a matter of speculation. Soviet GM Lev Alburt felt that the decision to not concede to Fischer's demands rested on Karpov's "sober view of what he was capable of". Spassky thought that Fischer would have won in 1975 but Karpov would have qualified again and beaten Fischer in 1978. According to Susan Polgar, commentators are divided, with a slight majority believing Fischer would have won, an opinion she shares. Former world champion Garry Kasparov argued that Karpov would have had good chances, because he had beaten Spassky convincingly and was a new breed of tough professional, and indeed had higher-quality games, while Fischer had been inactive for three years. Karpov himself said in 2020 that he thought he had chances, although he could not say he would be favored.

Sudden obscurity

After the 1972 World Chess Championship, Fischer did not play a competitive game in public for nearly 20 years. In 1977 he published three games he played against the MIT Greenblatt computer program, winning them all.

He moved to the Los Angeles area and associated with the Worldwide Church of God for a time. On May 26, 1981, while walking in Pasadena, Fischer was arrested by a police patrolman, because he resembled a man who had just committed a robbery in the area. Fischer, who alleged that he was slightly injured during the arrest, said that he was held for two days, subjected to assault and various types of mistreatment, and released on $1,000 bail. Fischer published a 14-page pamphlet detailing his allegations of police misconduct, saying that his arrest had been "a frame up and set up".

In 1981, Fischer stayed at the home of grandmaster Peter Biyiasas in San Francisco, where, over a period of four months, he defeated Biyiasas seventeen times in a series of speed games. In an interview with Sports Illustrated reporter William Nack, Biyiasas assessed Fischer's play:

He was too good. There was no use in playing him. It wasn't interesting. I was getting beaten, and it wasn't clear to me why. It wasn't like I made this mistake or that mistake. It was like I was being gradually outplayed, from the start. He wasn't taking any time to think. The most depressing thing about it is that I wasn't even getting out of the middle game to an endgame. I don't ever remember an endgame. He honestly believes there is no one for him to play, no one worthy of him. I played him, and I can attest to that.

In 1988–1990, Fischer had a relationship with German chess player Petra Stadler, who had been put in touch with Fischer by Spassky. When Stadler later published a book about the affair, Spassky apologized to Fischer.

1992 Spassky rematch

Main article: Fischer–Spassky (1992 match)

Fischer emerged after twenty years of isolation to play Spassky (then tied for 96th–102nd on the FIDE rating list) in a "Revenge Match of the 20th century" in 1992. This match took place in Sveti Stefan and Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in spite of a United Nations embargo that included sanctions on commercial activities. Fischer demanded that the organizers bill the match as "The World Chess Championship", although Garry Kasparov was the recognized FIDE World Champion. Fischer insisted he was still the true World Champion, and that for all the games in the FIDE-sanctioned World Championship matches, involving Karpov, Korchnoi, and Kasparov, the outcomes had been prearranged. The purse for the rematch was US$5 million, with $3.35 million of the purse going to the winner. This was, and still is, the largest purse for a match in chess history.

According to grandmaster Andrew Soltis:

were of a fairly high quality, particularly when compared with Kasparov's championship matches of 1993, 1995 and 2000, for example. Yet the games also reminded many fans of how out of place Fischer was in 1992. He was still playing the openings of a previous generation. He was, moreover, the only strong player in the world who didn't trust computers and wasn't surrounded by seconds and supplicants.

Fischer won the match with 10 wins, 5 losses, and 15 draws. Kasparov stated, "Bobby is playing OK, nothing more. Maybe his strength is 2600 or 2650. It wouldn't be close between us". Yasser Seirawan believed that the match proved that Fischer's playing strength was "somewhere in the top ten in the world".

Fischer and Spassky gave ten press conferences during the match. Seirawan attended the match and met with Fischer on several occasions; the two analyzed some match games and had personal discourse. Seirawan later wrote: "After September 23 , I threw most of what I'd ever read about Bobby out of my head. Sheer garbage. Bobby is the most misunderstood, misquoted celebrity walking the face of the earth." He added that Fischer was not camera shy, smiled and laughed easily, was "a fine wit" and "wholly enjoyable conversationalist".

The US Department of the Treasury warned Fischer before the start of the match that his participation was illegal, that it would violate President George H. W. Bush's Executive Order 12810 imposing United Nations Security Council Resolution 757 sanctions against engaging in economic activities in Yugoslavia. In response, during the first scheduled press conference on September 1, 1992, in front of the international press, Fischer spat on the US order, saying "this is my reply". His violation of the order led US Federal officials to initiate a warrant for his arrest upon completion of the match, citing, in pertinent part, "Title 50 USC §§1701, 1702, and 1705 and Executive Order 12810".

Before the rematch against Spassky, Fischer had won a training match against Svetozar Gligorić in Sveti Stefan with six wins, one loss, and three draws.

Later life and death

Life as an émigré

After the 1992 match with Spassky, Fischer, now a fugitive, slid back into relative obscurity, taking up residence in Budapest, Hungary, and allegedly having a relationship with young Hungarian chess master Zita Rajcsányi. Fischer stated that standard chess was stale and that he now played blitz games of chess variants, such as Chess960. He visited the Polgár family in Budapest and analyzed many games with Judit, Zsuzsa, and Zsófia Polgár. In 1998 and 1999, he also stayed at the house of young Hungarian grandmaster Peter Leko.

From 2000 to 2002, Fischer lived in Baguio in the Philippines, residing in the same compound as the Filipino grandmaster Eugene Torre, a close friend who had acted as his second during his 1992 match with Spassky. Torre introduced Fischer to a 22 year-old woman named Marilyn Young. On May 21, 2001, Marilyn Young gave birth to a daughter named Jinky Young, and claimed that Fischer was the child's father, a claim ultimately disproven by DNA after Fischer's death.

Comments on September 11 attacks

Shortly after midnight on September 12, 2001, Philippines local time (approximately four hours after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US), Fischer was interviewed live by Pablo Mercado on the Baguio station of the Bombo Radyo network. Fischer stated that he was happy that the attacks had happened, while expressing his view on United States and Israeli foreign policy, saying, "I applaud the act. Look, nobody gets ... that the US and Israel have been slaughtering the Palestinians ... for years." He also said, "The horrible behavior that the US is committing all over the world ... This just shows you, that what goes around, comes around, even for the United States." Fischer also referenced the movie Seven Days in May (1964) and said he hoped for a coup d'état in the US: " the country will be taken over by the military—they'll close down all the synagogues, arrest all the Jews, execute hundreds of thousands of Jewish ringleaders." In response to Fischer's statements about 9/11, the US Chess Federation passed a motion to cancel his right to membership in the organization. Fischer's right to become a member was reinstated in 2007.

Detention in Japan

Fischer lived for a time in Japan. On July 13, 2004, acting in response to a letter from US officials, Japanese immigration authorities arrested him at Narita International Airport near Tokyo for allegedly using a revoked US passport while trying to board a Japan Airlines flight to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines. Fischer resisted arrest, and claimed to have sustained bruises, cuts and a broken tooth in the process. At the time, Fischer had a passport (originally issued in 1997 and updated in 2003 to add more pages) that, according to US officials, had been revoked in November 2003 due to his outstanding arrest-warrant for the Yugoslavia sanctions violation. Despite the outstanding arrest-warrant in the US, Fischer said that he believed the passport was still valid. The authorities held Fischer at a custody center for 16 days before transferring him to another facility. Fischer said that his cell was windowless and he had not seen the light of day during that period, and that the staff had ignored his complaints about constant tobacco smoke in his cell.

Tokyo-based Canadian journalist and consultant John Bosnitch set up the "Committee to Free Bobby Fischer" after meeting Fischer at Narita Airport and offering to assist him. Boris Spassky wrote a letter to US President George W. Bush, asking "For mercy, charity," and, if that was not possible, "to put in the same cell with Bobby Fischer" and "to give a chess set". It was reported that Fischer and Miyoko Watai, the President of the Japanese Chess Association (with whom he had reportedly been living since 2000) wanted to become legally married. It was also reported that Fischer had been living in the Philippines with Marilyn Young during the same period. Fischer applied for German citizenship, on the grounds that his father was German. Fischer stated that he wanted to renounce his US citizenship, and appealed to US Secretary of State Colin Powell to help him do so, though to no effect. Japan's Justice Minister rejected Fischer's request for asylum and ordered his deportation.

While in prison, Bobby Fischer legally married Miyoko Watai on September 6, 2004.

Citizenship and residency in Iceland

Seeking ways to evade deportation to the United States, Fischer wrote a letter to the government of Iceland in early January 2005, requesting Icelandic citizenship. Sympathetic to Fischer's plight, but reluctant to grant him the full benefits of citizenship, Icelandic authorities granted him an alien's passport. When this proved insufficient for the Japanese authorities, the Althing (the Icelandic Parliament), at the behest of William Lombardy, agreed unanimously to grant Fischer full citizenship in late March for humanitarian reasons, as they felt he was being unjustly treated by the United States and Japanese governments and also in recognition of his 1972 match, which had "put Iceland on the map".

After arriving in Reykjavík in late March, Fischer gave a press conference. He lived a reclusive life in Iceland, avoiding entrepreneurs and others who approached him with various proposals.

Fischer moved into an apartment in the same building as his close friend and spokesman, Garðar Sverrisson. Garðar's wife, Kristín Þórarinsdóttir, was a nurse and later looked after Fischer as a terminally ill patient. Garðar's two children, especially his son, were very close to Fischer. Fischer also developed a friendship with Magnús Skúlason, a psychiatrist and chess player who later recalled long discussions with him on a wide variety of subjects.

On December 10, 2006, Fischer telephoned an Icelandic television station that had just broadcast a chess game in which one player blundered such that his opponent was able to mate on the next move. Although he tried to change his mind upon seeing the mate, the touch-move rule forced him to play the blunder. Fischer pointed out a winning combination that could have been played instead of the blunder or the other attempted move, but had been missed by the player and commentators.

In 2005, some of Fischer's belongings were auctioned on eBay. Fischer claimed, in 2006, that the belongings sold in the US without his permission were worth "hundreds of millions of dollars; even billions of dollars." In the same interview, Fischer also said that UBS Bank had closed an account of his and liquidated his assets against his wishes, transferring the funds to a bank in Iceland.

Death, estate dispute, and exhumation

Fischer is buried at the Church of Laugardælir.Fischer's grave

On January 17, 2008, Fischer died at age 64 from degenerative kidney failure at the Landspítali Hospital (National University Hospital of Iceland) in Reykjavík. He originally had a urinary tract blockage but refused surgery or medication. Magnús Skúlason reported Fischer's response to leg massages: "Nothing soothes as much as the human touch."

On January 21, Fischer was buried in the small Christian cemetery of Laugardælir church, outside the town of Selfoss, 60 kilometres (37 mi) southeast of Reykjavík, after a Catholic funeral presided over by Fr. Jakob Rolland of the diocese of Reykjavík. In accordance with Fischer's wishes, only Miyoko Watai, Garðar Sverrisson, and Garðar's family were present.

Fischer's estate was estimated at 140 million ISK (about £1 million, or US$2 million). It quickly became the object of a legal battle involving claims from four parties, with Miyoko Watai ultimately inheriting what remained of Fischer's estate after government claims. The four parties were Fischer's Japanese wife, Miyoko Watai; his alleged Filipino daughter, Jinky Young, and her mother, Marilyn Young; his two American nephews, Alexander and Nicholas Targ, and their father, Russell Targ; and the US government (claiming unpaid taxes).

Marilyn Young claimed that Jinky was Fischer's daughter, citing as evidence Jinky's birth and baptismal certificates, photographs, a transaction record dated December 4, 2007, of a bank remittance by Fischer to Jinky, and Jinky's DNA through her blood samples. However, Magnús Skúlason, a friend of Fischer's, said that he was certain that Fischer was not the girl's father. In addition, the validity of Miyoko Watai's marriage to Fischer was challenged.

In June 2010, Iceland's supreme court ordered Fischer's remains exhumed so that a DNA sample could be obtained. In August it was announced that DNA testing had ruled out Fischer as the father of Jinky Young, and the following March an Icelandic court ruled that Miyoko Watai had married Fischer on September 6, 2004, and was therefore entitled to his estate. Fischer's nephews were ordered to pay Watai's legal costs, amounting to ISK 6.6 million (approximately $57,000).

Personal life

Religious affiliation

Although Fischer's mother was Jewish, Fischer rejected attempts to label him as Jewish. In a 1962 interview with Harper's, asked if he was Jewish, he replied that he was "part-Jewish" through his mother. In the same interview he was quoted as saying: "I read a book lately by Nietzsche and he says religion is just to dull the senses of the people. I agree." In a 1984 letter to the editor of the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Fischer demanded that they remove his name from future editions.

Fischer associated with the Worldwide Church of God in the mid-1960s. The church prescribed Saturday Sabbath, and forbade work (and competitive chess) on Sabbath. According to his friend and colleague Larry Evans, in 1968 Fischer felt philosophically that "the world was coming to an end" and he might as well make some money by publishing My 60 Memorable Games; Fischer thought that the Rapture was coming soon.

During the mid-1970s, Fischer contributed significant money to the Worldwide Church of God. In 1972, one journalist stated that "Fischer is almost as serious about religion as he is about chess", and the champion credited his faith with greatly improving his chess. Yet prophecies by Herbert W. Armstrong went unfulfilled. Fischer eventually left the church in 1977, "accusing it of being 'Satanic', and vigorously attacking its methods and leadership".

Towards the end of his life, Fischer became interested in Catholicism. He bought his friend Garðar Sverrisson a copy of "Basic Catechism: Creed, Sacraments, Morality, Prayer" so Garðar could explain the religion better to him. According to Garðar, Fischer talked to him about transformation of society through creation of harmony and that "the only hope for the world is through Catholicism." Fischer was also known to have read a synopsis of G. K. Chesterton's works in the years leading up to his death. He requested a Catholic funeral, and this final service was presided over by Catholic priest Jakob Rolland.

Antisemitism

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Fischer made numerous antisemitic statements and professed a general hatred for Jews from at least the early 1960s. Jan Hein Donner wrote that at the time of the Bled 1961 chess tournament, "He idolized Hitler and read everything about him that he could lay his hands on. He also championed a brand of antisemitism that could only be thought up by a mind completely cut off from reality." Donner took Fischer to a war museum, which "left a great impression, since is not an evil person, and afterwards he was more restrained in his remarks—to me, at least."

From the 1980s on, Fischer's comments about Jews were a major theme in his public and private remarks. He openly denied the Holocaust, and called the United States "a farce controlled by dirty, hook-nosed, circumcised Jew bastards". Between 1999 and 2006, Fischer's primary means of communicating with the public was radio interviews. He participated in at least 34 such broadcasts, mostly with radio stations in the Philippines, but also in Hungary, Iceland, Colombia, and Russia. In 1999, he gave a radio call-in interview to a station in Budapest, Hungary, during which he described himself as the "victim of an International Jewish conspiracy". In another radio interview, Fischer said that it became clear to him in 1977, after reading The Secret World Government by Count Cherep-Spiridovich, that Jewish agencies were targeting him. Fischer's sudden reemergence was apparently triggered when some of his belongings, which had been stored in a Pasadena, California, storage unit, were sold by the landlord, who claimed it was in response to nonpayment of rent. Fischer was also upset that UBS had liquidated his assets and closed his account without his permission. When asked who he thought was responsible for the actions UBS had taken, Fischer replied: "There's no question that the Jew-controlled United States is behind this—that's obvious." Fischer, at a press conference upon his return to Reykjavik, Iceland, lashed out at Jeremy Schaap, the son of the late Dick Schaap, a sportswriter who had been a father figure to Fischer when growing up, calling his father a "Jewish snake" for doubting Fischer's sanity in his later writings.

Fischer's library contained antisemitic and racist literature such as Mein Kampf, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and The White Man's Bible and Nature's Eternal Religion by Ben Klassen, founder of the World Church of the Creator. A notebook written by Fischer contains sentiments such as "12/13/99 It's time to start randomly killing Jews". Despite his views, Fischer remained on good terms with Jewish chess players.

Psychological perspectives on Fischer

While as far as is known Fischer was never formally diagnosed as having a mental disorder, there has been widespread comment and speculation concerning his psychological condition based on his extreme views and unusual behavior. Reuben Fine, psychologist and chess player who met Fischer many times, said that "Some of Bobby's behavior is so strange, unpredictable, odd and bizarre that even his most ardent apologists have had a hard time explaining what makes him tick" and described him as "a troubled human being" with "obvious personal problems".

Valery Krylov, advisor to Anatoly Karpov and a specialist in the "psycho-physiological rehabilitation of sportsmen", believed Fischer had schizophrenia. Psychologist Joseph G. Ponterotto, from secondhand sources, concludes that "Bobby did not meet all the necessary criteria to reach diagnoses of schizophrenia or Asperger syndrome. The evidence is stronger for paranoid personality disorder." Magnús Skúlason, a chess player, psychiatrist and head doctor of Sogn Institution for Mentally Ill Offenders near Selfoss, befriended Fischer towards the end of Fischer's life. From Endgame, Fischer's 2011 biography by Frank Brady:

Skulason was not "Bobby's psychiatrist", as has been implied in the general press, nor did he offer Bobby any analysis or psychotherapy. He was at Bobby's bedside as a friend, to try to do anything he could for him. Because of his training, however, he couldn't fail to take note of Bobby's mental condition. "He definitely was not schizophrenic", Skulason said. "He had problems, possibly certain childhood traumas that had affected him. He was misunderstood. Underneath I think he was a caring sensitive person."

Contributions to chess

Writings

• Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1959). ISBN 0-923891-46-3. An early collection of 34 lightly annotated games, including "The Game of the Century" against Donald Byrne.
• "A Bust to the King's Gambit" (American Chess Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 1961), pp. 3–9).
• "The Russians Have Fixed World Chess" (Sports Illustrated, Vol. 17, No. 8 (August 20, 1962), pp. 18–19, 64–65). This is the controversial article in which Fischer asserted that several of the Soviet players in the 1962 Curaçao Candidates' tournament had colluded with one another to prevent him from winning the tournament.
• "The Ten Greatest Masters in History" (Chessworld, Vol. 1, No. 1 (January–February 1964), pp. 56–61). An article in which Fischer named Paul Morphy, Howard Staunton, Wilhelm Steinitz, Siegbert Tarrasch, Mikhail Chigorin, Alexander Alekhine, José Raúl Capablanca, Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal, and Samuel Reshevsky as the greatest players of all time. Fischer's criterion for inclusion on his list was his own subjective appreciation of their games rather than their achievements.
• Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966), co-written with Donn Mosenfelder and Stuart Margulies. The extent of Fischer's actual contribution to this book has been questioned.
• "Checkmate" column from December 1966 to December 1969 in Boys' Life, later assumed by Larry Evans.
• My 60 Memorable Games (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1969, and Faber and Faber, London, 1969; Batsford 2008 (algebraic notation)). Studied by Kasparov at a young age; "A classic of painstaking and objective analysis that modestly includes three of his losses."
• I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse! (1982). A self-published booklet in which Fischer details his arrest in May 1981 for vagrancy.

Opening theory

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Fischer's opening repertoire was narrow in some ways. As White, Fischer almost exclusively played 1.e4, calling it "best by test", throughout his career. He played 1.d4 only once in a serious game, during a blitz tournament. In spite of this narrowness, he was considered by some of his rivals to be unpredictable in his opening play, and a difficult opponent to prepare for.

As Black, Fischer would usually play the Najdorf Sicilian against 1.e4, and the King's Indian Defense against 1.d4, only rarely venturing into the Nimzo-Indian, Benoni, Grünfeld or Neo-Grünfeld. Fischer acknowledged difficulty playing against the Winawer Variation of the French Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4), but maintained that the Winawer was unsound because it exposed Black's kingside, and that, in his view, "Black was trading off his good bishop with 3...Bb4 and ...Bxc3." Later on Fischer said: "I may yet be forced to admit that the Winawer is sound. But I doubt it! The defense is anti-positional and weakens the K-side."

Fischer was renowned for his opening preparation and made numerous contributions to chess opening theory. He was one of the foremost experts on the Ruy Lopez. A line of the Exchange Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0) is sometimes called the "Fischer Variation" after he successfully resurrected it at the 1966 Havana Olympiad. Fischer's lifetime score with the move 5.0-0 in tournament and match games was eight wins, three draws, and no losses (86.36%).

Fischer was a recognized expert in the black side of the Najdorf Sicilian and the King's Indian Defense. He used the Grünfeld Defense and Neo-Grünfeld Defense to win his celebrated games against Donald and Robert Byrne, and played a theoretical novelty in the Grünfeld against reigning world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, refuting Botvinnik's prepared analysis over the board. In the Nimzo-Indian Defense, the line beginning with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 Ba6 was named after him.

Fischer established the viability of the so-called Poisoned Pawn Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6). This bold queen sortie, to snatch a pawn at the expense of development, had been considered dubious, but Fischer succeeded in proving its soundness. Out of ten tournament and match games as Black in the Poisoned Pawn, Fischer scored 70%, winning five, drawing four, and losing only one: the 11th game of his 1972 match against Spassky. Following Fischer's use, the Poisoned Pawn Variation became a respected line, utilized by many of the world's leading players. Fischer's 10.f5 in this line against Efim Geller quickly became the main line of the Poisoned Pawn.

On the white side of the Sicilian, Fischer made advances to the theory of the line beginning 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 (or e6) 6.Bc4, which has sometimes been named after him.

In 1961, prompted by a loss the year before to Spassky, Fischer wrote an article titled "A Bust to the King's Gambit" for the first issue of the American Chess Quarterly, in which he stated, "In my opinion, the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." Fischer recommended 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6, which has since become known as the Fischer Defense, as a refutation to the King's Gambit. Fischer later played the King's Gambit as White in three tournament games, winning them all.

Endgame

Fischer had excellent endgame technique. International Master Jeremy Silman listed him as one of the five best endgame players (along with Emanuel Lasker, Akiba Rubinstein, José Raúl Capablanca, and Vasily Smyslov), calling Fischer a "master of bishop endings". The endgame of a rook, bishop, and pawns against a rook, knight, and pawns has sometimes been called the "Fischer Endgame" because of several instructive wins by Fischer (with the bishop), including three against Mark Taimanov in 1970 and 1971.

Fischer clock

Further information: Chess clock § Fischer clock and related designs

In 1988, Fischer filed for U.S. patent 4,884,255 for a new type of chess clock, which gave each player a fixed period at the start of the game and then added a small increment after each completed move.

An example of Fischer's patented clock was made for, and used in, the 1992 rematch between Fischer and Spassky. Clocks based on the "Fischer clock" soon became standard in major chess tournaments. Fischer would later complain that he was cheated out of the royalties for this invention.

Fischer Random

Main article: Fischer random chess

Following his re-emergence onto the chess scene with his 1992 match against Spassky, Fischer heavily disparaged chess as it was being played at the highest levels. As a result, on June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fischer announced and advocated a variant of chess called Fischerandom (later also known as Chess960). The goal of Fischerandom was to ensure that a game between two players is a contest between their understandings of chess, rather than their abilities to prepare opening strategies or memorize opening lines.

Legacy

Some grandmasters compared Fischer's play to that of a computer or a player without noticeable weaknesses.

Biographers David Edmonds and John Eidinow wrote:

Faced with Fischer's extraordinary coolness, his opponents [sic] assurance would begin to disintegrate. A Fischer move, which at first glance looked weak, would be reassessed. It must have a deep master plan behind it, undetectable by mere mortals (more often than not they were right, it did). The US grandmaster Robert Byrne labeled the phenomenon "Fischer-fear". Grandmasters would wilt, their suits would crumple, sweat would glisten on their brows, panic would overwhelm their nervous systems. Errors would creep in. Calculations would go awry. There was talk among grandmasters that Fischer hypnotized his opponents, that he undermined their intellectual powers with a dark, mystic, insidious force.

Kasparov wrote that Fischer "became the detonator of an avalanche of new chess ideas, a revolutionary whose revolution is still in progress". In January 2009, reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand described him as "the greatest chess player who ever lived". Serbian GM Ljubomir Ljubojević called Fischer, "A man without frontiers. He didn't divide the East and the West, he brought them together in their admiration of him."

German GM Karsten Müller wrote:

Fischer, who had taken the highest crown almost singlehandedly from the mighty, almost invincible Soviet chess empire, shook the whole world, not only the chess world, to its core. He started a chess boom not only in the United States and in the Western hemisphere, but worldwide. Teaching chess or playing chess as a career had truly become a respectable profession. After Bobby, the game was simply not the same.

Head-to-head record versus selected grandmasters

(Rapid, blitz, and blindfold games not included; listed as +wins −losses =draws.)
Players who have been World Champions in boldface

• Mikhail Tal +2−4=5
• Mikhail Botvinnik +0−0=1
• Vasily Smyslov +3−1=5
• Boris Spassky +17−11=28
• Max Euwe +1−1=1
• Tigran Petrosian +8−4=15
• Efim Geller +3−5=2
• Svetozar Gligorić +7−4=8
• Paul Keres +4−3=3
• Victor Korchnoi +2−2=4
• Bent Larsen +9−2=1
• Miguel Najdorf +4−1=4
• Lev Polugaevsky +0−0=1
• David Bronstein +0−0=2
• Samuel Reshevsky +9−4=13
• Mark Taimanov +7−0=1
• Borislav Ivkov +4−2=4
• Pal Benko +8−3=7

Internet chess playing speculation

In 2001, Nigel Short wrote in The Sunday Telegraph chess column that he believed he had been secretly playing Fischer on the Internet Chess Club (ICC) in speed chess matches. Subsequently others claimed to have played Fischer as well. Fischer denied ownership of the account.

In popular culture

In film

• The 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer, adapted from its eponymous book, uses Fischer's name in the title although the film and book are both based on the life of fellow chess prodigy Joshua Waitzkin, whose father, Fred Waitzkin, wrote the book. Outside of the United States, it was released as Innocent Moves. The title refers to the search for Fischer's successor after his disappearance from competitive chess, since Waitzkin's father felt that his own son could be that successor. Fischer never saw the film and claimed that it violated his privacy by using his name without his permission. Fischer never received any compensation from the film, calling it "a monumental swindle".
• In April 2009, the documentary Me and Bobby Fischer, about Fischer's last years as his old friend Saemundur Palsson gets him out of jail in Japan and helps him settle in Iceland, was premiered in Iceland. The film was produced by Friðrik Guðmundsson with music by Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, Björk and Einar Arnaldur Melax.
• In October 2009, the biographical film Bobby Fischer Live was released, with Damien Chapa directing and starring as Fischer.
• In 2011, documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus released Bobby Fischer Against the World, which explores the life of Fischer, with interviews from Garry Kasparov, Anthony Saidy, and others.
• On September 16, 2015, the American biographical film Pawn Sacrifice was released, starring Tobey Maguire as Fischer, Liev Schreiber as Boris Spassky, Lily Rabe as Joan Fischer, and Peter Sarsgaard as William Lombardy.

Other media

• The 1984 concept album Chess, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, is loosely based on the 1972 World Championship match between Fischer and Spassky. The characterization of the American player Freddie Trumper as a hot-headed and paranoid xenophobe is based on Fischer.
• During the 1972 Fischer–Spassky match, the Soviet bard Vladimir Vysotsky wrote an ironic two-song cycle "Honor of the Chess Crown". The first song is about a rank-and-file Soviet worker's preparation for the match with Fischer; the second is about the game. Many expressions from the songs have become catchphrases in Russian culture.
• British sophisti-pop band Prefab Sprout reference Fischer in their 1984 song "Cue Fanfare" in the lyrics "When Bobby Fischer's plane touches the ground/He'll take those Russian boys and play them out of town".
• In a season 21 episode of Saturday Night Live, in a sketch set at a chess tournament, the Spartan cheerleaders, played by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri, sang a cheer with references to Fischer and his reclusion, including the lyrics "Where is he?/I don't know/I don't know".
• In episode 6 of season 3 of Drunk History, titled "Games", comedian and author Rich Fulcher retells the story of the 1972 World Chess Championship match between Fischer and Spassky. In the episode, Taran Killam plays Fischer, and Jake Johnson plays Spassky.

Tournament, match, and team event summaries

Fischer played 752 tournament games in his career, winning 417, drawing 251, and losing 84. These include, however, games when he was very young; if only the games after he turned 20 are considered, he played 311 tournament games and lost 23, a 7.4% loss percentage.

Tournaments

The 1955 US Amateur Championship was the first tournament organized by the US Chess Federation in which Fischer entered. Before this tournament, he had played in the Brooklyn Chess Club Championships, in some tournaments organized by the Brooklyn YMCA Chess and Checker Club, and in a correspondence chess tournament organized by Chess Review.

Tournament record

Year	Tournament	Location	Wins	Draws	Losses	Points	Games	Ranking	Players	%
1955	US Amateur Championship	Mohegan Lake, New York	unknown (6 games)			≤ 3	6	below 32nd	75	≤ 50%
	US Junior Championship	Lincoln, Nebraska	2	6	2	5	10	11th–21st (20th on tie-break)	25	50%
	Washington Square Park	New York	unknown (8 games)			5	8	15th	66	56%
1956	Greater New York City Open	Manhattan	5	0	2	5	7	5th–7th	52	71%
	Manhattan Chess Club Tournament 'A'-Reserves	New York	unknown (10 games)			7½	10	1st–2nd	6	75%
	Metropolitan League (team event)	New York	4	1	0	4½	5	Manhattan 'A'-Reserves Team top scorer		90%
	US Amateur Championship	Asbury Park, New Jersey	3	2	1	4	6	21st	88	67%
	US Junior Championship	Philadelphia	8	1	1	8½	10	1st	28	85%
	US Open	Oklahoma City	5	7	0	8½	12	4th–8th	102	71%
	Canadian Open	Montreal	6	2	2	7	10	8th–12th	88	70%
	Rosenwald Trophy	New York	2	5	4	4½	11	8th–10th	12	41%
	Eastern States Open	Washington, D.C.	4	3	0	5½	7	2nd–5th	56	79%
	Manhattan Chess Club Championship semifinals	New York	2	1	2	2½	5	4th	6	50%
1957	Log Cabin Open	West Orange, New Jersey	4	0	2	4	6	6th–14th	61	67%
	Log Cabin 50–50, fast chess	West Orange	3	2	0	4	5	unknown		80%
	Metropolitan League (team event)	New York	5	0	0	5	5	Manhattan team, Fischer played at board 7.		100%
	New Western Open	Milwaukee	5	2	1	6	8	6th–12th	122	75%
	US Junior Championship	San Francisco	8	1	0	8½	9	1st	33	94%
	US Open	Cleveland	7/ 8	4	0	9/ 10	11/ 12	1st (on tie-break)	176	82%/ 83%
	New Jersey State Open	East Orange	6	1	0	6½	7	1st	81	93%
	North Central Open	Milwaukee	4	2	1	5	7	5th–11th	93	71%
	US Championship	New York	8	5	0	10½	13	1st	14	81%
1958	Interzonal	Portorož	6	12	2	12	20	5th–6th	21	60%
1958	US Championship	New York	6	5	0	8½	11	1st	12	77%
1959	Mar del Plata International	Mar del Plata	8	4	1	10	13	3rd–4th	14	71%
	International	Santiago	7	1	4	7½	12	4th–7th	13	63%
	Zürich International	Zürich	8	5	2	10½	15	3rd–4th	16	70%
	Candidates	Bled, Zagreb & Belgrade	8	9	11	12½	28	5th–6th	8	45%
	US Championship	New York	7	4	0	9	11	1st	12	82%
1960	Mar del Plata International	Mar del Plata	13	1	1	13½	15	1st–2nd	16	90%
	Buenos Aires International	Buenos Aires	3	11	5	8½	19	13th–16th	20	45%
	3-player double round-robin	Reykjavík	3	1	0	3½	4	1st	3	88%
	US Championship	New York	7	4	0	9	11	1st	12	82%
1961	"Tournament of the century"	Bled	8	11	0	15	19	2nd	20	71%
1962	Interzonal	Stockholm	13	9	0	17½	22	1st	23	80%
	Candidates	Curaçao	8	12	7	14	27	4th	8	52%
	US Championship	New York	6	4	1	8	11	1st	12	73%
1963	Western Open	Bay City, Michigan	7	1	0	7½	8	1st	161	94%
	New York State Open	Poughkeepsie	7	0	0	7	7	1st	57	100%
	US Championship	New York	11	0	0	11	11	1st	12	100%
1965	Capablanca Memorial	Havana	12	6	3	15	21	2nd–4th	22	71%
1965	US Championship	New York	8	1	2	8½	11	1st	12	77%
1966	Piatigorsky Cup	Santa Monica	7	8	3	11	18	2nd	10	61%
1966	US Championship	New York	8	3	0	9½	11	1st	12	86%
1967	Monaco International	Monte Carlo	6	2	1	7	9	1st	10	78%
	International	Skopje	12	3	2	13½	17	1st	18	79%
	Interzonal	Sousse	7	3	0	8½	10	withdrew	22	85%
1968	International	Netanya	10	3	0	11½	13	1st	14	88%
	International	Vinkovci	9	4	0	11	13	1st	14	85%
	Metropolitan League (team event)	New York	1	0	0	1	1	Manhattan team, Fischer played only one game.		100%
1970	Blitz (5-minute games)	Herceg Novi	17	4	1	19	22	1st	12	86%
	Tournament of Peace	Rovinj & Zagreb	10	6	1	13	17	1st	18	76%
	Buenos Aires International	Buenos Aires	13	4	0	15	17	1st	18	88%
	Interzonal	Palma de Mallorca	15	7	1	18½	23	1st	24	80%
1971	Manhattan CC Blitz	New York	21	1	0	21½	22	1st	12	98%

Matches

Match record

Year	Opponent	Location	Match	Wins	Draws	Losses	Result	Score	Percentage
1957	Max Euwe	New York	2-game exhibition match	0	1	1	lost	½–1½	25%
1957	Dan Jacobo Beninson	New York	5-game training match	2	3	0	won	3½–1½	70%
1957	Rodolfo Tan Cardoso	New York		5	2	1	won	6–2	75%
1958	Dragoljub Janošević	Belgrade	2-game training match	0	2	0	tied	1–1	50%
1958	Milan Matulović	Belgrade		2	1	1	won	2½–1½	63%
1961	Samuel Reshevsky	New York & Los Angeles	16-game match	2	7	2	unfinished	5½–5½	50%
1970	Tigran Petrosian	Belgrade	USSR vs. World Match	2	2	0	won	3–1	75%
1971	Mark Taimanov	Vancouver	Candidates quarterfinal	6	0	0	won	6–0	100%
	Bent Larsen	Denver	Candidates semifinal	6	0	0	won	6–0	100%
	Tigran Petrosian	Buenos Aires	Candidates final	5	3	1	won	6½–2½	72%
1972	Boris Spassky	Reykjavík	World Championship	7	11	3	won	12½–8½	60% /63%
1992	Svetozar Gligorić	Sveti Stefan	training match	6	3	1	won	7½–2½	75%
	Boris Spassky	Sveti Stefan & Belgrade	Unofficial rematch	10	15	5	won	10–5	58% /67%

International Team events

International Team events record

Year	Event	Location	Board	Opponents	Wins	Draws	Losses	Points	Games	Individual ranking	Team ranking	Individual percentage
1960	14th Olympiad	Leipzig	1	various	10	6	2	13	18	Bronze	Silver	72%
1960	Berlin vs USA Match	Berlin	1	Klaus Darga	1	0	0	1	1	Game won	Team won	100% (1 game)
1962	Poland vs USA Match	Warsaw	1	Bogdan Sliwa	1	0	0	1	1	Game won	Team won
1962	15th Olympiad	Varna	1	various	8	6	3	11	17	Eighth	Fourth	65%
1966	17th Olympiad	Havana	1	various	14	2	1	15	17	Silver	Silver	88%
1970	USSR vs. World Match	Belgrade	2	Tigran Petrosian	2	2	0	3	4	best world team result	Team lost	75%
1970	19th Olympiad	Siegen	1	various	8	4	1	10	13	Silver	Fourth	77%

Notable games

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

• Donald Byrne vs. Fischer, New York 1956; Grünfeld Defense, 5.Bf4 (D92), 0–1. Played when Fischer was 13 years old, "this game appeared in chess magazines around the world, provoking the delight of the public and the amazement of the experts." It was dubbed "The Game of the Century" by Hans Kmoch in Chess Review.
• Svetozar Gligorić vs. Fischer, Bled 1961; King's Indian Defense, Classical Variation, Mar del Plata Variation (E98), ½–½. "A genuine drawn masterpiece" according to Garry Kasparov. Andrew Soltis rated it as one of "The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century".

Gligorić vs. Fischer, Bled 1961

	h	g	f	e	d	c	b	a
1									1
2									2
3									3
4									4
5									5
6									6
7									7
8									8
	h	g	f	e	d	c	b	a

Position after 22...Nxg3 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.exf5 Nxf5 12.f3 Nf6 13.Nf2 Nd4 14.Nfe4 Nh5 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.g3 h6 17.Be3 c5 18.Bxd4 exd4 19.Nb5 a6 20.Nbxd6 d3 21.Qxd3 Bd4+ 22.Kg2 Nxg3 (diagram) 23.Nxc8 Nxf1 24.Nb6 Qc7 25.Rxf1 Qxb6 26.b4 Qxb4 27.Rb1 Qa5 28.Nxc5 Qxc5 29.Qxg6+ Bg7 30.Rxb7 Qd4 31.Bd3 Rf4 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Qg6 ½–½

• Robert Byrne vs. Fischer, 1963/64 US Championship; Neo-Grünfeld Defense, 0–1; annotated. From an almost symmetrical position, Fischer beats a strong international master in just 21 moves—"a game that was immediately recognized as an all-time classic".

Byrne vs. Fischer, 1963/64 US Championship

	h	g	f	e	d	c	b	a
1									1
2									2
3									3
4									4
5									5
6									6
7									7
8									8
	h	g	f	e	d	c	b	a

Position after 18.Qd2 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e3 0-0 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.0-0 b6 10.b3 Ba6 11.Ba3 Re8 12.Qd2 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Rfd1 Nd3 15.Qc2 Nxf2 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Kg1 Nxe3 18.Qd2 (diagram) Nxg2 19.Kxg2 d4 20.Nxd4 Bb7+ 21.Kf1 Qd7 0–1

• Fischer vs. Mark Taimanov, Vancouver Candidates Final 1971; 4th match game, Sicilian Defense, Taimanov Variation (B47), 1–0. Fischer's patient and accurate handling of bishop vs. knight, first in the rook and minor piece endgame, and then after rooks were exchanged, has become a staple of endgame instructional literature.

Fischer vs. Taimanov, Vancouver Candidates Final 1971

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Position after 23...Kxd7 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qc7 5.Nc3 e6 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Bc5 10.Bf4 d6 11.Qd2 h6 12.Rad1 e5 13.Be3 Bg4 14.Bxc5 dxc5 15.f3 Be6 16.f4 Rd8 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 e4 19.Rfe1 Rxd5 20.Rxe4+ Kd8 21.Qe2 Rxd1+ 22.Qxd1+ Qd7 23.Qxd7+ Kxd7 (diagram) 24.Re5 b6 25.Bf1 a5 26.Bc4 Rf8 27.Kg2 Kd6 28.Kf3 Nd7 29.Re3 Nb8 30.Rd3+ Kc7 31.c3 Nc6 32.Re3 Kd6 33.a4 Ne7 34.h3 Nc6 35.h4 h5 36.Rd3+ Kc7 37.Rd5 f5 38.Rd2 Rf6 39.Re2 Kd7 40.Re3 g6 41.Bb5 Rd6 42.Ke2 Kd8 43.Rd3 Kc7 44.Rxd6 Kxd6 45.Kd3 Ne7 46.Be8 Kd5 47.Bf7+ Kd6 48.Kc4 Kc6 49.Be8+ Kb7 50.Kb5 Nc8 51.Bc6+ Kc7 52.Bd5 Ne7 53.Bf7 Kb7 54.Bb3 Ka7 55.Bd1 Kb7 56.Bf3+ Kc7 57.Ka6 Ng8 58.Bd5 Ne7 59.Bc4 Nc6 60.Bf7 Ne7 61.Be8 Kd8 62.Bxg6 Nxg6 63.Kxb6 Kd7 64.Kxc5 Ne7 65.b4 axb4 66.cxb4 Nc8 67.a5 Nd6 68.b5 Ne4+ 69.Kb6 Kc8 70.Kc6 Kb8 71.b6 1–0

• Fischer vs. Tigran Petrosian, Buenos Aires Candidates Final 1971; 7th match game, Sicilian Defense, Taimanov Variation (B42), 1–0. Fischer's unconventional choice of 22.Nxd7+, exchanging a well-posted knight for an apparently passive bishop, has been widely praised. However, in 2020 engine-assisted analysis by Karsten Müller and ChessBase News readers came to the conclusion that 22.a4 wins, while 22.Nxd7+ only draws against correct defense.

Fischer vs. Petrosian, Buenos Aires Candidates Final 1971

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Position after 21...Bd7 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.0-0 d5 8.c4 Nf6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.exd5 exd5 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Qa4+ Qd7 13.Re1 Qxa4 14.Nxa4 Be6 15.Be3 0-0 16.Bc5 Rfe8 17.Bxe7 Rxe7 18.b4 Kf8 19.Nc5 Bc8 20.f3 Rea7 21.Re5 Bd7 (diagram) 22.Nxd7+ Rxd7 23.Rc1 Rd6 24.Rc7 Nd7 25.Re2 g6 26.Kf2 h5 27.f4 h4 28.Kf3 f5 29.Ke3 d4+ 30.Kd2 Nb6 31.Ree7 Nd5 32.Rf7+ Ke8 33.Rb7 Nxf4 34.Bc4 1–0

• Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, World Chess Championship 1972; 6th match game, Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower Defense (D59), 1–0; annotated on the 1972 match page. Fischer called this game his best of the match. Efim Geller had told Spassky about the strong move 14...Qb7 during their preparation, but Spassky had forgotten the advice and played 14...a6. Geller won with 14...Qb7 against Jan Timman in the AVRO 1973 tournament.
• Boris Spassky vs. Fischer, World Chess Championship 1972; 13th match game, Alekhine Defense, Modern Variation, Alburt Variation (B04), 0–1; annotated on the 1972 match page. Botvinnik called this game "the highest creative achievement of Fischer". He resolved a drawish opposite-colored bishops endgame by sacrificing his bishop and trapping his own rook. "Then five passed pawns struggled with the white rook. Nothing similar had been seen before in chess."
• Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, 1992; 1st match game, Ruy Lopez, Breyer Variation (C95), 1–0; annotated on the 1992 match page. Fischer's "fine" victory in his first competitive game in 20 years "made a great impression on the chess world", although in Kasparov's view, Spassky's play was below the standard of the leading grandmasters of the time.

See also

• Bibliography of works on Bobby Fischer
• List of chess players by peak FIDE rating
• List of Jewish chess players

Notes

1. Just before Larsen played Fischer in their individual game, Larsen predicted that he would be victorious, only to find out quite the opposite: "Once we were well into the tournament, Larsen, Fridrik Olafsson and I were engaged in a friendly debate over Fischer's performance. 'Lucky to have 50%!' quipped Larsen, who went on to say, 'I will spank that baby!'… With wisdom Fridrik supplied a thought for me, 'Watch out the baby doesn't spank you!' At that comment, Larsen waved his hand. In the very next round, Fischer crushed Larsen ..."
2. This record stood until 1991, when it was broken by Judit Polgár.
3. According to Lombardy, Fischer's lack of a sole second proved a main reason for his failure.
4. According to Miguel Quinteros, Fischer had the flu at the beginning of the match.
5. Perhaps the best-selling book on the match was subtitled The New York Times Report on the Chess Match of the Century.
6. Marilyn Young's name was written behind a photograph dated December 14, 2000, sent to her by Fischer.

References

1. "Fischer, Robert James". Olimpbase. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
2. ^ Brady 1973, p. 2.
3. William Addams Reitwiesner. "Ancestry of Bobby Fischer (Extracts from the U.S. Federal Decennial Census)". ancestry.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
4. ^ Ben Quinn & Alan Hamilton (January 28, 2008). "Bobby Fischer, chess genius, heartless son". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.(subscription required)
5. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 313.
6. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 27. "… she appears to have been religiously unobservant."
7. André Schulz (October 8, 2004). "Mutmaßungen über Fischer". chessbase.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
8. "WHO WAS FISCHER'S FATHER?". Chess Life. US Chess Federation. March 2004. p. 10.
9. ^ Brady 2011, pp. 7–8.
10. Brady 2011, p. 8.
11. Brady 2011, p. 9. "The family lived in before moving to New York. Regina's flexibility and desperation led her to a surprising gamut of jobs. She was a welder, schoolteacher, riveter, farm worker, toxicologist's assistant, and stenographer, all throughout the early and mid 1940s."
12. ^ Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 5.
13. ^ Nicholas, Peter (September 21, 2009). "Chasing the king of chess". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009.
14. Brady 2011, p. 10. "In early 1949 Regina Fischer took the least expensive housing she could find when she moved the family—Bobby, Joan, and herself—to East 13th Street in Manhattan, facing the kitchen back entrance of the famed Luchow's restaurant, where many of the best chess players would occasionally dine. The Fischers could never afford to eat there. The apartment's entrance was marred by a rusty fire escape running up the front, and there was only one small bedroom—but the rent was $45 a month."
15. ^ Nicholas, Peter; Benson, Clea (November 17, 2002). "Files reveal how FBI hounded chess king". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 23, 2008.
16. ^ Nicholas, Peter; Benson, Clea (February 9, 2003). "Life is not a board game". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 23, 2008.
17. Charles Laurence (November 24, 2002). "FBI targeted chess genius Bobby Fischer and his mother". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
18. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 22.
19. Regina Fischer entry, passenger manifest, SS Manhattan, January 18, 1939, p. 74, line 6, accessed January 20, 2008, via ancestry.com
20. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 22, 135.
21. "Bobby Fischer Autobiographical Essay". Parade. October 27, 1957. p. 22. In March of 1949, on a rainy day when Bobby had just turned six, his sister, Joan … bought a plastic chess set for $1 at the candy store … Neither Joan nor Bobby had ever seen a chess set before but they followed instructions printed on the inside of the top of the box ... Quoted in Brady 2011, pp. 10–11.
22. Brady 2011, pp. 10–12.
23. Brady 1973, p. 5.
24. Brady 2011, p. 12.
25. Fischer 1959, p. xi.
26. Brady 1973, pp. 5–6.
27. Brady 2011, pp. 17–18.
28. ^ Brady 2011, p. 18.
29. Brady 2011, p. 20.
30. Fischer 1959, pp. xi–xii.
31. Brady 1973, p. 7.
32. Brady 2011, pp. 19–21.
33. Fischer 1959, p. 2.
34. Brady 2011, p. 21.
35. Fischer 1959, p. xii.
36. Brady 2011, pp. 38–39.
37. Brady 2011, p. 52.
38. "Carmine Nigro, 91, Bobby Fischer's First Chess Teacher". The New York Times. September 2, 2001. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
39. Brady 2011, p. 6.
40. Dylan Loeb McClain (December 4, 2001). "John W. Collins, 89, Dies; Was Fischer's Chess Tutor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
41. Collins 1974, p. 47. "'He taught Bobby Fischer to play chess' is the way I am sometimes publicly and privately introduced."
42. "Collins, for his part, said that he never 'taught' Bobby in the strictest sense" and that Fischer "knew before instructed". Collins 1974, pp. 48–49. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 52.
43. "Fischer was also extremely fortunate in having John W. (Jack) Collins, a chess master, who was a friend, guide, and mentor to him during his early formative years". Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 44.
44. Brady 1973, pp. 10–11.
45. Collins 1974, pp. 34–35.
46. Fischer 1959, p. xiii.
47. Brady 1973, p. 15.
48. Collins 1974, pp. 55–56.
49. The New York Times, March 5, 1956, p. 36. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 49.
50. Brady 2011 p. 56.
51. Chess Life, May 20, 1956, p. 4. Also available on DVD (p. 76 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").
52. Chess Life, May 20, 1956, p. 1. Also available on DVD (p. 73 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").
53. Chess Life, July 20, 1956, p. 1. Also available on DVD (p. 105 in "Chess Life 1956" PDF file").
54. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 100.
55. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 101.
56. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 105.
57. Di Felice 2010, p. 76.
58. ^ Brady 1973, p. 16.
59. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 108.
60. Brady 2011, p. 65.
61. Di Felice 2010, p. 48.
62. Chess Review, December 1956, p. 374. Also available on DVD (p. 418 in Chess Review 1956 PDF file).
63. Fred Wilson (1981). A Picture History of Chess. Dover. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-486-23856-2. While, objectively, it is not one of the greatest games ever played, it is certainly the finest game ever produced by one so young
64. Brady 2011, p. 64.
65. AP wire story, February 24, 1957. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 64.
66. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 123.
67. ^ Brady 1973, p. 17.
68. Brady 2011, p. 67. "To wrest a draw from a former World Champion was neither small cheese nor minor chess, but Bobby was unhappy since he'd lost the match, 1½–½."
69. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 127.
70. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 130.
71. Collins 1974, p. 56.
72. Chess Review, September 1957, p. 260. Also available on DVD (p. 294 in "Chess Review 1957" PDF file).
73. Brady 2011, p. 75. "No one as young as Bobby had won the United States Open before, and no one had ever held the United States Junior and Open titles concurrently. When Bobby returned to New York, both the Marshall and Manhattan chess clubs conducted victory celebrations, and he was lauded as America's new chess hero."
74. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 138–40.
75. ^ Brady 1973, p. 19.
76. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 135–37.
77. Kenneth Harkness (1967). Official Chess Handbook. David McKay. p. 272. ASIN B009NNTGSM.
78. ^ Brady 1973, p. 20.
79. A writer in Chess Life, apparently Editor Fred M. Wren, expected Fischer to score about 50%. "The Monday-Morning Quarterback Speaks", Chess Life, January 20. 1958, p. 4. Also available on DVD (p. 12 on Chess Life 1958 PDF file).
80. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 51.
81. Di Felice 2010, p. 196.
82. Brady 1973, pp. 20–21.
83. Edward Winter, Chess Note 6428 (citing Chess Life, February 5, 1958).
84. Edward Winter, Chess Note 6436 Archived August 4, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (citing FIDE Revue, April 1958, p. 106).
85. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 8.
86. Brady 2011, pp. 89–90.
87. ""Teenage Appreciation" episode of "I've Got a Secret"". March 26, 1958. Event occurs at 17:40. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021 – via YouTube.
88. Regina Fischer (June 1958). "none". Letter to Bobby Fischer – via Marshall Chess Foundation Archive. The Soviet Union had agreed to invite Bobby to Moscow, and generously pay all expenses for him and his sister ... Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 93.
89. Brady 2011, p. 91.
90. ^ Brady 2011, p. 92.
91. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 9.
92. Linder V.I. & Linder I.M. 1994. Quoted in Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 120–21.
93. Harry Golombek (1977). Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess. Crown Publishers. pp. 236–37. ISBN 978-0-517-53146-4.. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 93.
94. Brady 2011, p. 94.
95. Daniel Johnson (2007). White King and Red Queen: How the Cold War Was Fought on the Chessboard. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-547-13337-9.. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 94.
96. Brady 2011, pp. 94–96.
97. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 163–64.
98. Brady 2011, pp. 98–100.
99. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 26.
100. Brady 1973, p. 25.
101. Leonard Barden, "From Portorož to Petrosian", in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 332.
102. Lombardy 2011, p. 87.
103. Wade & O'Connell 1973. pp. 332–34, 347.
104. Kasparov 2004, pp. 225–26.
105. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 20–21.
106. Cathy Forbes (1992). The Polgar Sisters: Training or Genius?. Henry Holt. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-8050-2426-5.
107. Allen Kaufman (April 9, 2006). "Interview". Anything to Win: The Mad Genius of Bobby Fischer (television documentary).
108. Di Felice 2010, p. 301.
109. Di Felice 2010, p. 340.
110. Wall, Bill. "Bobby Fischer's Tournaments and Matches". billwall.phpwebhosting.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
111. Di Felice 2010, p. 356.
112. Brady 1973, p. 28.
113. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 27.
114. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 165, 171, 176.
115. Paul Keres "From the Opposite Side of the Board" in Wade & O'Connell 1973
116. Barden, Leonard (March 4, 2011). "Fascination with Bobby Fischer shows no sign of reaching its endgame". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
117. Leitão, Rafael (August 20, 2017). "Lies And Truths About Bobby Fischer: Take The Test!". Rafael Leitão. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
118. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 41.
119. Brady 1965, p. 34.
120. Brady 1965, p. 35.
121. Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 136. "At 16 he was able to earn his living from chess, and soon began to dress well, with suits tailored in London and New York."
122. Ginzburg 1962, pp. 53–54.
123. Di Felice 2010, p. 310.
124. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 356.
125. Brady 2011, pp. 105, 125.
126. Joseph G. Ponterotto (2012). A Psychobiography of Bobby Fischer. Charles C. Thomas. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-398-08742-5.
127. Brady 2011, p. 25. "Attempts by Regina and Joan to engage Bobby in schoolwork were usually fruitless. Bobby could concentrate on puzzles or chess for hours, but he fidgeted and grew restless when confronted with reading, writing, and arithmetic… he was accepted by Community Woodward with the understanding that he'd teach the other students to play, and also as a result of his astronomically high IQ test score of 180."
128. Christopher Andersen (2006). Barbra: The Way She Is. HarperCollins. pp. 15, 41. ISBN 978-0-06-056256-4. Streisand later said that Fischer was "always alone and very peculiar … But I found him very sexy." Id. at 41.
129. David Boyer (March 11, 2001). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: FLATBUSH; Grads Hail Erasmus as It Enters a Fourth Century". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
130. Brady 1965, pp. 1, 25.
131. Collins 1974, p. 52.
132. Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 47.
133. Brady 1965, p. 25.
134. Ginzburg 1962, p. 51.
135. Schonberg 1973, p. 261. "In his junior year Bobby left school for good because 'the stuff they teach you in school I can't use one way or the other.'"
136. Ginzburg 1962, p. 55.
137. Brady 2011, p. 131. "Probing into the activities of the American Chess Foundation, she demonstrated that some players (such as Reshevsky) received support while others (such as Bobby) did not… she sent out indignant press releases, letters to the government demanding a public accounting."
138. ^ Bisguier & Soltis 1974, pp. 282–84.
139. Hooper & Whyld 1992, pp. 136–37.
140. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 51 (1-point margin in 1957/58), 57 (1-point margin in 1958/59), 62 (1-point margin in 1959/60), 67 (2-point margin in 1960/61), 71 (1-point margin in 1962/63), 77 (2½-point margin in 1963/64), 82 (1-point margin in 1965), 87 (2-point margin in 1966/67).
141. ^ Müller 2009, pp. 399–400.
142. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 51, 57, 62, 67, 71, 76, 82, 87.
143. Müller 2009, p. 85.
144. Müller 2009, p. 104.
145. Müller 2009, p. 148.
146. Müller 2009, p. 181.
147. Müller 2009, p. 231.
148. ^ Müller 2009, p. 243.
149. Müller 2009, p. 262.
150. Müller 2009, p. 263.
151. Müller 2009, p. 285.
152. Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 283.
153. Mednis 1997, pp. x–xi, 179–83, 202–11.
154. Larry Evans, in Müller 2009, p. 7.
155. Robert Wade (1972). "Olympiads". In Robert G. Wade & Kevin J. O'Connell (eds.). The Games of Robert J. Fischer. Batsford. ISBN 978-0-713-40370-1.
156. "Fischer, Robert James, Men's Chess Olympiads". Olimpbase. 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
157. "United States (USA) Men's Chess Olympiads". Olimpbase. 2015. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
158. Di Felice 2010, p. 485.
159. Di Felice 2013a, p. 251.
160. Di Felice 2013b, p. 326.
161. ^ Di Felice 2013c, p. 366.
162. Kažić 1974, pp. 75, 81, 94, 108.
163. "Fischer, Robert James". Olimpbase. August 2003. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
164. Müller 2009, pp. 276–77.
165. Brady 1973, p. 120. "Later Gheorghiu stated that when he offered Fischer the draw, he was convinced he actually had a won game but that he wanted Fischer to be awarded the gold medal. It was obvious that Fischer was trying too hard and had tired and overextended himself. He lost the game decisively. Nevertheless, all of the players and spectators considered Bobby to be the real hero of the most magnificent chess event in history."
166. Brady 1973, p. 65.
167. Müller 2009, pp. 224–25.
168. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 286–87.
169. Kasparov 2004, p. 335. "'It is important to draw a distinction between the myth of the 'extravagant, capricious, uncontrollable' Fischer and those actions that he undertook quite consciously. Many of his demands in Lugano were absolutely justified. 'It was not only Fischer who did not like the conditions,' writes Petrosian. 'This also applied to me and my colleagues. Imagine a hall, in which three thousand players, trainers and spectators are gathered, a hall without any ventilation and in addition with poor lighting. I have never complained about my eyesight, but I only needed once or twice in a game to think intensively over a move, and my eyes began to hurt.'"
170. Lombardy 2011, p. 184. "Fischer was clearly the best and highest rated U.S. player and also the U.S. Champion. But in consideration of his lifelong prestige, Reshevsky would not yield first board."
171. "OlimpBase :: 21st Chess Olympiad, Nice 1974, information". Olimpbase.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
172. Müller 2009, p. 156.
173. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 183.
174. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 12.
175. Bronstein & Fürstenberg 1995, p. 121. "They became friends instantly and have remained so until this day."
176. ^ Donner 2006, p. 228.
177. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 189.
178. Benko & Silman 2003, p. 422 (interview with Evans).
179. Donner 2006, p. 228. "One of his rivals in that tournament was American GM Larry Evans, and the story goes that he found a Bovaryan lady prepared for a small sum to surround Fischer with her charms. This approach proved successful for Evans, as Fischer finished thirteenth in the tournament …"
180. Benko & Silman 2003, pp. 426–27 (interview with Benko).
181. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 196–97.
182. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 198.
183. Brady 2011, p. 135. "The officers of the American Chess Foundation maintained that Reshevsky was the better player, and they arranged to have him prove it."
184. Brady 1973, pp. 42–46.
185. Di Felice 2013a, p. 17.
186. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 68.
187. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 199.
188. Di Felice 2013a, p. 223.
189. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 75.
190. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 369.
191. Brady 1973, p. 51.
192. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 81.
193. Brady 1973, pp. 53–54.
194. Leonard Barden (January 18, 2008). "Obituary, Bobby Fischer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
195. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 82.
196. Kažić 1974, pp. 188–89.
197. Benko & Silman 2003, p. 155.
198. Lombardy 2011, p. 122. "As a second, Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier had to divide his talents between Bobby and Pal Benko… Bobby was hopping mad over the miserable arrangement made by the American Chess Foundation, which was responsible for the funding for the American participants at Curaçao."
199. Bobby Fischer (August 20, 1962). "The Russians Have Fixed World Chess". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 17, no. 8. pp. 18–19, 64–65. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
200. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 29–30, 37, 40, 83.
201. ^ "Victim of His Own Success: The Tragedy of Bobby Fischer". The Wall Street Journal. January 22, 2008. p. D8.
202. ^ Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 331–46.
203. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 207–08.
204. ^ Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 49.
205. Müller 2009, p. 237. "At the time he was also writing for Chess Life, a column called "Fischer Talks Chess," and he made some very favorable comments about the overall quality of the opposition he faced as well as the organization of the tournaments."
206. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 49, 149–51.
207. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 49, 152–53.
208. Brady 1973, p. 70.
209. ^ David Levy (1975). How Fischer Plays Chess. R.H.M. Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-89058-011-0.
210. "The Amazing Victory Streak of Bobby Fischer". Sports Illustrated. January 13, 1964. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
211. Arthur Bisguier, in Wade & Connell 1973, pp. 49–50.
212. ^ Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 81.
213. ^ Andy Soltis (2002). Chess Lists (2nd ed.). McFarland and Company. pp. 81–83. ISBN 978-0-7864-1296-9.
214. Anne Sunnucks (1976) . The Encyclopaedia of Chess (2nd ed.). St. Martin's Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-7091-4697-1.
215. Fischer 1969, p. 305.
216. Quoted in Brady 1973, p. 74.
217. ^ Müller 2009, p. 248.
218. Chess Life, August 1964, p. 202. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 155.
219. Brady 1973, pp. 80–81.
220. ^ John Donaldson (2005). A Legend on the Road: Bobby Fischer's 1964 Simul Tour. International Chess Enterprises. pp. 7, 11. ISBN 978-1-888690-25-5.
221. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 285.
222. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 127–28.
223. ^ Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 209.
224. Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 213.
225. Brady 1973, pp. 86–89.
226. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 127–31.
227. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 160, 209.
228. ^ Luděk Pachman (1975). Pachman's Decisive Games. Pitman. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-273-31812-5.
229. Brady 1973, pp. 88–89.
230. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 127.
231. Brady 1973, pp. 86–88.
232. ^ Di Felice 2013b, p. 167.
233. Brady 1973, pp. 92–94.
234. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 82–86.
235. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 134.
236. Isaac Kashdan (1977) . Second Piatigorsky Cup: International Grandmaster Tournament held in Santa Monica, California August 1966. Dover. p. v. ISBN 978-0-486-23572-1.
237. Kasparov 2004, p. 322.
238. Müller 2009, pp. 284–85.
239. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 87–91.
240. Di Felice 2013b, p. 396.
241. Di Felice 2013b, pp. 423–24.
242. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 236–47.
243. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 450–53.
244. Schonberg 1973, pp. 256–57. ", Fischer quit at the halfway mark… faced with four games in four consecutive days… for religious reasons, will not play between sundowns on Friday and Saturday. He objected to the consecutive playoffs, claiming that the judges were taking advantage of him, subjecting him to cruel and inhuman punishment. He also pointed out, correctly, that he had entered the tournament with the assurance that such conditions would not prevail. But the judges would not change their ruling …"
245. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 161–66.
246. Al Horowitz (1973) The World Chess Championship: A History. Macmillan. New York.
247. Di Felice 2013c, pp. 56–57.
248. Di Felice 2013c, p. 91.
249. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 248–59.
250. Müller 2009, pp. 320–21.
251. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 154–55.
252. Donaldson & Tangborn 1999, p. 170.
253. Brady 2011, pp. 162–63. "In this new book, his first—and, ultimately, only—serious work as an adult, Fischer was anything but sparse… what he produced was one of the most painstakingly precise and delightful chess books ever written, rivaling the works of Tarrasch, Alekhine, and Reti… If Fischer had never played another game of chess, his reputation, certainly as an analyst, would have been preserved through its publication."
254. Benko & Silman 2003, p. 426.
255. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 84–86.
256. Müller 2009, p. 343.
257. Leonard Barden, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 342.
258. Brady 1973, p. 174.
259. Chess Life & Review, July 1975, Vol. XXX, No. 7. "The only condition I asked for stepping down was for Fischer to agree not to withdraw from the Interzonal or the ensuing matches should he qualify for them – and he fulfilled this condition."
260. Jeff Sonas (May 25, 2005). "The Greatest Chess Player of All Time – Part IV". chessbase.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
261. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 82.
262. Larry Melvyn Evans (April 20, 1970). "The Rest Of The World Sort Of Strikes Back". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015 – via chessgames.com. I was acting as Fischer's second ...
263. Brady 2011, p. 164.
264. ^ Müller 2009, p. 321.
265. "USSR vs Rest of the World: Belgrade 1970". Olimpbase. August 2003. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
266. Brady 1973, p. 161.
267. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 82–83.
268. Brady 2011, p. 165.
269. ^ Schonberg 1973, p. 267.
270. ^ Bobby Fischer: His Games and His Openings 1969 through 1971. Chess Digest. 1971. pp. 83–92.
271. ^ Denker & Parr 1995, p. 105.
272. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 188–89.
273. ^ Kasparov 2004, p. 343.
274. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 183.
275. Lombardy 2011, p. 90. "I was among the best blitz players around I trained regularly with Bobby since he was 11-years old."
276. Lombardy 2011, pp. 90–91. "As for Bobby's ability at speed chess, it came as no shock that Bobby would win the world blitz championship in 1970 in Belgrade. I expected Bobby to win by a wide margin, but his winning by a margin of 4½ points ahead of Tal did come as a pleasant surprise!"
277. Kasparov 2004, p. 342.
278. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 263–70.
279. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 271–78.
280. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 201–02.
281. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 279.
282. Kasparov 2004, pp. 342–44.
283. Di Felice 2013c, pp. 320–21.
284. Mark Weeks (1997–2008). "World Chess Championship 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal Tournament". Printer. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
285. Kažić 1974, pp. 171–72. "Fischer's 3½-point margin set a new record for an Interzonal, beating Alexander Kotov's 3-point margin at Saltsjöbaden 1952."
286. Brady 1973, p. 179. "Panno refused to play in protest of the organizers' rescheduling of the game to accommodate Fischer's desire not to play on his religion's Sabbath. Panno was not present when the game was to begin. Fischer waited ten minutes before playing his first move (1.c4) and went to get Panno to convince him to play. Forty-five minutes later, Panno came to the board and resigned."
287. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 344, 410.
288. Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 137.
289. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 214.
290. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 86.
291. ^ Brady 2011, p. 167.
292. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 88.
293. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 220–22.
294. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 225–26.
295. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 226.
296. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 232. "'What happened next during the resumption of the 5th game,' Tal wrote later, 'had to be seen to be believed. It is simply incredible that three grandmasters could have left a rook en prise a mere three moves after the resumption of the game.'"
297. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 412–16.
298. Leonard Barden "From Portorož to Petrosian", in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 345. "The record books showed that the only comparable achievement to the 6–0 score against Taimanov was Wilhelm Steinitz's 7–0 win against Joseph Henry Blackburne in 1876 in an era of more primitive defensive technique."
299. Brady 1973, p. 188. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 168.
300. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 91–92.
301. Brady 2011, p. 168.
302. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 92.
303. Bernard Cafferty (1972). Candidates Matches 1971. The Chess Player. p. 102. ASIN B0007APXZK.
304. Müller 2009, p. 360. "… the chess world… was positively sent reeling by Bobby's crushing 6–0 defeat of Larsen."
305. Byrne & Nei 1974, p. 19.
306. Kasparov 2004, pp. 405–06.
307. Jeff Sonas (April 28, 2005). "The Greatest Chess Player of All Time – Part II". chessbase.com. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
308. Gino Di Felice (2014). Chess Results, 1971–1974: A Comprehensive Record with 966 Tournament Crosstables and 148 Match Scores, with Sources. McFarland. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-4766-1891-3.
309. Steiner 1974, p. 21. "Petrosian's opponents have declared him to be 'the hardest player in history to defeat.'"
310. Karpov 1991, p. 114.
311. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 273. "Karpov: It was already clear that the winner would have to play Fischer, who on the other staircase was rapidly ascending to the chess throne. There was practically no doubt that Spassky would be able to deal with him, but in the Sports Committee they decided that it was better if it didn't come to this… And so the officials summoned Petrosian and Korchnoi and asked them directly which of them had the better chances against Fischer. Korchnoi said that the 'generation beaten by Fischer' had practically no chances. But Petrosian said that he believed in himself. After this it was suggested to Korchnoi that he should allow Petrosian to win, and in compensation they promised to send him to three major tournaments (which for a Soviet player in those times was a princely reward)."
312. Brady 2011, p. 169.
313. Brady 1973, p. 195.
314. Kasparov 2004, pp. 408–17.
315. Jan Timman (1980) The Art of Chess Analysis, R.H.M. Press, pp. 36–42. ISBN 0-89058-048-0.
316. Soltis 2003, pp. 259–62.
317. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 311–12.
318. Mednis 1997, pp. 266–70.
319. Quinteros, Miguel (July 23, 2020). "Bobby Fischer, el Vincent van Gogh de nuestro tiempo". Infobae.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
320. Reuben Fine (1971) The Final Candidates Match Buenos Aires, 1971: Fischer vs Petrosian, Hostel Chess Association. pp. 13–32.
321. Robert Cantwell (November 8, 1971). "Bobby Clears The Board For The Title". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
322. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 96.
323. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 289.
324. Schonberg 1973, p. 269.
325. ^ Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 293.
326. Alexander 1972, p. 74.
327. Chess Informant, Volume 14, Šahovski Informator, 1973, pp. 302–07.
328. "FIDE Rating List July 1972". Retrieved January 5, 2021.
329. Arpad Elo (1978). The Rating of Chess Players, Past and Present. Batsford. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-668-04721-0.
330. Albert Silver, The name of the game is domination, ChessBase, March 1, 2013
331. Brad Darrach (November 12, 1971). "Bobby Fischer is a ferocious winner". Life. Vol. 71, no. 20. pp. 50A–53. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
332. Kasparov 2004, p. 429.
333. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 336. "' … I must warn Spassky that Fischer is armed with all the new ideas in chess. As soon as Fischer gains even the slightest advantage, he begins playing like a machine. You cannot hope for some mistake. Fischer is a quite extraordinary player. His match with Spassky will be tough.'"
334. Gligorić 1972, pp. 10–11.
335. Gligorić 1972, pp. 11–12.
336. Gligorić 1972, p. 13.
337. Gligorić 1972, p. 47.
338. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 308.
339. Brady 1973, pp. 225, 253.
340. Brady 1973, p. 248.
341. ^ Alexander 1972, p. 141.
342. Stephen Moss (January 19, 2008). "Death of a madman driven sane by chess". The Guardian. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
343. Alexander 1972, pp. 84–87.
344. Gligorić 1972, p. 37.
345. Alexander 1972, p. 87.
346. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 271–73.
347. Byrne & Nei 1974, p. vii.
348. Donner 2006, p. 136 (originally published in De Tijd, June 28, 1972). "Even before a move has been made, this breathtaking, blood-curdling and heartrending encounter is justly being labelled as 'the Match of the Century'."
349. ^ Richard Roberts; Harold C. Schonberg; I. A. Horowitz & Samuel Reshevsky (1972). Fischer/Spassky: The New York Times Report on the Chess Match of the Century. Bantam Books. pp. 195–96. ISBN 978-0-553-07667-7.
350. Müller 2009, p. 370. The match made the covers of Time and Newsweek. Id. at 19.
351. Kasparov 2004, p. 206.
352. Müller 2009, p. 15.
353. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 89.
354. Müller 2009, p. 13.
355. Soltis 2003, pp. 10–11.
356. Anthony Saidy & Norman Lessing (1974). The World of Chess. Random House. pp. 224–226. ISBN 978-0-394-48777-9. Wearing city's gold medal and accompanied by Mayor John Lindsay, Bobby shakes hands with some 3,000 fans attending ...
357. Larry Evans, in Müller 2009, p. 13.
358. "Bobby's Chessboard Mastery". Sports Illustrated. August 14, 1972. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
359. Dick Cavett (February 8, 2008). "Was It Only a Game?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
360. "2016 US Chess Yearbook" (PDF). uschess.org. 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
361. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 2–3. "The 1972 championship will become immortalized in film, on the stage, in song. It will remain incontrovertibly the most notorious chess duel in history. There will never be another like it… A lone American star was challenging the long Soviet grip on the world title. His success would dispose of the Soviet's claim that their chess hegemony reflected the superiority of their political system …"
362. Robert Byrne (1976). Anatoly Karpov: The Road to the World Chess Championship. Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-02876-8.
363. Kasparov 2004, p. 471.
364. ^ Yasser Seirawan (2003). Winning Chess Brilliancies. Microsoft Press.
365. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 46. "Grandmaster Hans Ree remarked of Fischer's demand that the champion keep his title in the event of a 9–9 tie, 'They thought that this demand was too severe. It was rejected, understandably'."
366. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 417–18.
367. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 418–19.
368. Donaldson & Tangborn 1999, p. 159. "In a letter to Larry Evans, published in Chess Life in November 1974, Fischer claimed the usual system (24 games with the first player to get 12½ points winning, and the champion retaining his title in the event of a 12–12 tie) encouraged the player in the lead to draw games, which he regarded as bad for chess. Not counting draws would be 'an accurate test of who is the world's best player'."
369. Denker & Parr 1995, pp. 110–11. "Former US Champion Arnold Denker, who was in contact with Fischer during the negotiations with FIDE, claimed that Fischer wanted a long match to be able to play himself into shape after a three-year layoff."
370. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 418.
371. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 412–13.
372. Brady 2011, pp. 218–19.
373. Kasparov 2004, p. 472.
374. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 413–14.
375. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 414.
376. Mednis 1997, p. 282.
377. Bozidar Kazic (1975). "Anatoly Karpov New World Champion." Chess Informant 19.
378. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 414–16.
379. Kasparov 2004, p. 473.
380. Karpov 1991, pp. 159–65.
381. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 419–20.
382. Brady 2011, p. 247. "Roger Cohen: Why, after turning down so many offers to make a comeback, did you accept this one? Bobby Fischer: That's not quite true. As I recall, for example, Karpov in 1975 was the one who refused to play me under my conditions …"
383. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 419.
384. ^ "From all of the people I spoke to, the opinions split right down the middle with a small edge for Bobby." Q&A about Fischer, Kasparov, Karpov and more, Susan Polgar, Chesscafe, 2004
385. Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, part IV: Fischer, p. 474
386. "Karpov on Fischer, Korchnoi, Kasparov and the chess world today". Chessbase. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
387. Seirawan & Stefanovic (1992), p. 22.
388. Penrod, Douglas (April 7, 1977). "Computer Chess Newsletter, Issue 1". Retrieved October 8, 2024.
389. Bisguier, Arthur (June 22, 1988). "When Bobby Fischer took on a computer". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
390. Brady 2011, p. 210. "His connection to the Church was always somewhat ambiguous. He was not a registered member, since he hadn't agreed to be baptized by full immersion in water by Armstrong or one of his ministers. And since he wasn't considered a duly recognized convert, he was sometimes referred to as a 'co-worker' or, less politely, as a 'fringer' — someone on the fringes or edges of the Church but not totally committed to its mission. The Church imposed a number of rules that Bobby thought were ridiculous and refused to adhere to "
391. Fischer 1982, p. 1.
392. Fischer 1982, p. 2.
393. Fischer 1982, pp. 3–14.
394. Fischer 1982, pp. 10–12.
395. Fischer 1982, p. 14.
396. ^ Fischer, Bobby (1982). "I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!" (PDF). Retrieved March 30, 2022.
397. ^ Chun, Rene (December 2002). "Bobby Fischer's pathetic endgame". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
398. ^ Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 302.
399. Brady 2011, p. 224.
400. Nack, William (July 29, 1985). "Bobby Fischer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
401. Dautov, Petra (1995). Bobby Fischer – wie er wirklich ist. Ein Jahr mit dem Schachgenie [Bobby Fischer – how he really is. A year with the chess genius] (in German). Darmstadt: California-Verlag. ISBN 9783980428132.
402. Brady 2011, p. 225
403. Mark Weeks (1997–2008). "1992 Fischer – Spassky Rematch Highlights". Printer. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
404. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 8.
405. "Bobby Fischer arrives in Iceland". BBC News. March 25, 2005. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
406. Soltis 2003, p. 280.
407. ^ Müller 2009, p. 382.
408. Waitzkin 1993, p. 298.
409. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 283.
410. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992. The content of the first nine press conferences, in full, at pp. 13, 15–21, 53–57, 86–90, 114–18, 149–54, 170–75, 208–14, 227–31, 256–60. The tenth press conference was not transcribed, p. 272.
411. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 291.
412. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, pp. 85, 96, 303.
413. Brady 2011, pp. 243–44.
414. Roger Cohen (September 2, 1992). "Bobby Fischer Ends Silence With Rancor". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
415. Stephen Labaton (December 16, 1992). "FISCHER IS INDICTED OVER CHESS MATCH". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
416. "Indictment" (PDF). U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Federal Circuit). December 15, 1992. Retrieved January 28, 2014 – via chessbase.com.
417. Brady 2011, p. 255. "On December 15, 1992, a single count indictment in federal court in Washington, D.C., was handed down by a grand jury against Bobby Fischer for violating economic sanctions, through an executive order issued by President George Bush. A letter to that effect was sent to Bobby in Belgrade, and upon announcement of the indictment, federal officials issued a warrant for his arrest."
418. Edward Winter. "Fischer v Gligorić Training Match (1992)", Chess Notes
419. Daniszewski, John (September 4, 1992). "Fischer's 19 year-old companion shares chess limelight". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
420. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 65, 106–09.
421. Brady 2011, pp. 255–62.
422. Sofia Polgar discussing Bobby Fischer (video). Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2011 – via YouTube.
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424. ^ Cabreza, Vincent (January 19, 2008). "Fischer has a Pinoy heir born in Baguio – friends". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
425. ^ "Fischer's daughter Jinky files claim to his estate". chessbase.com. November 11, 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
426. ^ Ochoa, Francis (February 7, 2008). "Fischer's Filipino heirs going after estate". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
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428. ^ "DNA tests on chess champion's corpse exclude paternity". Reuters. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
429. ^ "DNA results settle Bobby Fischer paternity case". CNN. August 18, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
430. ^ David Bamber & Chris Hastings (December 2, 2001). "Bobby Fischer speaks out to applaud Trade Centre attacks". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 17. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
431. ^ "The Bin Laden defense; Diatribe; Bobby Fischer speaks out in favor of 9/11 attacks; Brief Article; Transcript". Harper's Magazine. Vol. 304, no. 1822. March 1, 2002. p. 27. 0017-789X.
432. "Finding Bobby Fischer: The baffling moves of a chess genius". New York Daily News. January 18, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
433. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 122.
434. Bruce Weber (January 19, 2008). "Bobby Fischer, Troubled Genius of Chess, Dies at 64". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
435. Fischer's radio broadcasts show that he was "out of his mind ... a victim of his own mental illness". Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 66–67.
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437. "Unofficial summary of the February, 2007, meeting of the USCF Executive Board" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2016.
438. ^ Jim Frederick (August 23, 2004). "King's Gambit". TIME. Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
439. "Will Fischer be extradited?". chessbase.com. July 19, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
440. Brady 2011, p. 2. " worry was that the U.S. government might finally have caught up with him. He'd violated State Department economic sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing a $5 million chess match against Boris Spassky in Sveti Stefan, Montenegro, in 1992, and an arrest warrant had been issued at that time. If he went back to the United States, he'd have to stand trial, and the penalty, if he was convicted, would be anywhere from ten years in prison to $250,000 in fines, or both, plus possible forfeiture of his $3.5 million winnings."
441. ^ "Fischer er jákvæður og skýr í hugsun" (in Icelandic).
442. Brady 2011, pp. 281–82. "There were problems with the revocation of the passport, however. Fischer never received the notice and therefore couldn't appeal it, which according to law he had the right to do. The Justice Department claimed that the letter had been sent to the hotel in Bern (the location Bobby had given to the embassy) and was returned to them with no forwarding address appended. It was dated December 11, 2003, and when a faxed copy of the letter was ultimately examined, it didn't have an address for Fischer on it, the implication being that the embassy had never sent the letter to Bern."
443. Brady 2011, p. 282. "Not knowing that his arrest was imminent, and believing that his passport was legal, on July 13, 2004, went to Narita Airport in Tokyo to board a plane bound for Manila. He was arrested and shackled in chains."
444. Brady 2011, pp. 282, 293. "... on July 13, 2004... was arrested ..." "... on March 23, 2005, was released from his cell."
445. Hiroshi Suzuki (August 6, 2004). "Bobby Fischer Renounces U.S. Citizenship, Seeks Refugee Status". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
446. "Spassky to Bush: Arrest me!". chessbase.com. August 10, 2004. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015. I would not like to defend or justify Bobby Fischer. He is what he is. I am asking only for one thing. For mercy, charity. If for some reason it is impossible, I would like to ask you the following: Please correct the mistake of President François Mitterrand in 1992. Bobby and myself committed the same crime. Put sanctions against me also. Arrest me. And put me in the same cell with Bobby Fischer. And give us a chess set.
447. "Profile: Bobby Fischer: Endgame on the darker side of genius". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
448. "Fischer's next moves: renounce U.S. citizenship and marry a Japanese". The Japan Times Online. August 17, 2004. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
449. "Fischer renounces US citizenship". chessbase.com. August 15, 2004. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
450. "Bobby Fischer's Deportation Appeal Rejected". Fox News. Associated Press. July 28, 2004. Archived from the original on April 14, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
451. "Iceland grants Fischer passport". BBC News. March 21, 2005. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
452. AP wire story, March 23, 2005. " was picked up by limousine supplied by the Icelandic embassy, given his new Icelandic passport, and he and Miyoko, hand in hand, sped to Narita Airport." Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 293.
453. "Iceland Court Hands Bobby Fischer Estate to Japanese Claimant". The New York Times. March 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
454. Brady 2011, pp. 288–89. "Honorable Members of Althingi: I … sincerely thank the Icelandic nation for the friendship it has shown to me ever since I came to your country many years ago and competed for the title of World Champion in chess… For the past six months I have been forcibly and illegally imprisoned in Japan… During this period my health has steadily deteriorated… I would therefore like to formally request that Althingi grant me Icelandic citizenship so that I may actually enjoy the offer of residence in Iceland that your Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. David Oddsson had so graciously extended to me. Most Respectfully, BOBBY FISCHER"
455. "Fangavist fáránleikans" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Morgunbladid. February 2, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 8, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
456. Helgi Ólafsson (2014). Bobby Fischer Comes Home: The Final Years in Iceland, a Saga of Friendship and Lost Illusions. New in Chess. p. 67. ASIN B00IEOZ2N4.
457. "Bobby Fischer: ich bin ein Icelander!". chessbase.com. March 21, 2005.
458. Brady 2011, p. 293. "The RJF members called virtually every member of parliament to lobby for citizenship: full, permanent citizenship... an Extraordinary Session of Parliament was called for Saturday, Match 21, 2005. Three rounds of discussion took place in the space of twelve minutes, and questions were posed regarding the extent of the emergency. The answers were succinct and forthcoming: Bobby Fischer's improper incarceration was a violation of his rights; all he was really guilty of was moving some wooden pieces across a chessboard; he'd been a friend of Iceland and had a historical connection to it, and now he needed the country's help". Act Respecting the Granting of Citizenship, no. 16/2005.
459. Laura Smith-Spark (March 23, 2005). "Fischer 'put Iceland on the map'". BBC. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
460. Doug Kennedy (May 9, 2005). "Chess legend still intrigues people". PittsburghLIVE. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009.
461. "Bobby Fischer gestures is surrounded by members of the press while speaking to the media for the first time since landing in his hew home of Reykjavik Iceland Friday March 25th 2005". echecs-photos.be. March 11, 2008. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
462. ^ "Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland". chessbase.com. January 18, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
463. Brady 2011, p. 305.
464. Brady 2011, p. 319.
465. ^ "Bobby Fischer's final manoeuvre". The Sunday Times. April 20, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
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467. "Bobby Fischer's life for sale – on eBay". chessbase.com. December 13, 2005. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
468. ^ Fischer on Icelandic Radio April 11, 2006.
469. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 118.
470. ^ Bobby Fischer and Sigurður Tómassyni (October 2006). Interview on Útvarp Saga. Iceland.
471. Death:
     • "Fischer, outspoken ex-chess champion, dies of kidney failure". Associated Press. January 18, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
     • David Batty (January 18, 2008). "Chess champion Bobby Fischer dies". The Guardian. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
     • "Dánarorsök Fischers var nýrnabilun". mbl.is (in Icelandic). January 18, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
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472. Brady 2011, p. 317.
473. Brady 2011, pp. 316–17. "Bobby started to have urinary problems and thought it might simply be caused by an enlarged prostate gland, at first denying that anything was seriously wrong with him. His lungs were also bothering him and he was having difficulty breathing. Since he had a lifelong distrust of doctors, he tolerated the discomfort until late September 2007, when his pain and inability to urinate became excruciating. He went to a doctor... he had a blocked urinary tract... his kidneys... were not functioning properly... Bobby refused to take any medicine, and the idea of being hooked up to a dialysis machine to cleanse his blood every few days for the rest of his life was out of the question."
474. Brady 2011, p. 317. "'It's possible that Bobby was just giving up, letting go of his life, beginning a slow form of suicide'. Interview of Pal Benko by author, summer 2008, New York."
475. Michael Dirda (February 10, 2011). "A chess master who defeated himself". The Washington Post.
476. ^ Brady 2011, p. 318.
477. Burial:
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     • "Unnustan ræður hvílustað Bobbys" (in Icelandic). visir.is. January 19, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2014..
     • Kristin Arna Bragadottir (January 21, 2008). "Chess champion Bobby Fischer buried in Iceland". Reuters. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
     • "Bobby Fischer – his final weeks". chessbase.com. January 25, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
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478. ^ "4 gera kröfu í dánarbú Fischers" [4 claim Fischer's estate] (in Icelandic). RÚV. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
479. Andy Soltis (November 15, 2009). "Fi$cher Family Feud". New York Post. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
480. Dylan Loeb McClain (July 5, 2010). "Bobby Fischer Is Exhumed". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
481. "Fischer's Pinay love child in Iceland to claim inheritance". Manila Bulletin. December 4, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
482. "Fischer's remains to be exhumed?". chessbase.com. April 1, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
483. Dylan Loeb McClain (June 17, 2010). "Iceland: Bobby Fischer's Estate Dispute". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
484. "Court rules Bobby Fischer's body can be exhumed". CNN. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
485. ^ "Miyoko Watai Ruled Bobby Fischer's Legal Heir". Iceland Review Online. March 3, 2011. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
486. Dylan Loeb McClain (March 4, 2011). "Iceland Court Hands Bobby Fischer Estate to Japanese Claimant". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
487. Ginzburg 1962, p. 54.
488. ^ Fischer wrote of Nature's Eternal Religion in a 1979 letter to Benko, "'The book shows that Christianity itself is just a Jewish hoax and one more Jewish tool for their conquest of the world. ... Unfortunately the author is an extreme racist and this somewhat spoils the book.'" David DeLucia (2007) . David DeLucia's Chess Library: A Few Old Friends (2nd ed.). p. 280.
489. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 26–27.
490. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 15.
491. Brady, Frank (1974). Bobby Fischer:Profile of a Prodigy. Dover Publications. pp. 151–153. ISBN 978-0-486-25925-3.
492. Chess Life, April 2009, p. 10.
493. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, pp. 301–02. "Where was Fischer? For several years, he lived in the bosom of the Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, where he was called 'a co-worker'. The church fed him, they gave him comfortable accommodation in Mocking Bird Lane, they even flew him around in a private jet. In return, Fischer handed over around a third ($61,200) of his Icelandic prize money."
494. Brad Darrach (August 11, 1972). "Bobby is Not a Nasty Kid". Life. p. 40. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
495. Brady 2011, p. 143. "Bobby tried to live and practice his beliefs; he felt truly born again, and he was applying the same sense of discipline and reverence to the Bible that he had all his life to chess. But eventually his religious commitments began tearing him apart. He couldn't spend ten or twelve hours a day studying chess and another six to eight hours on Bible studies "
496. This led Fischer to believe that Armstrong was really a "false prophet". Brady 2011, p. 212.
497. ^ Brady, Frank (2011). Endgame:Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall — From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness. Crown Publishers. pp. 315–316. ISBN 978-0-307-46390-6.
498. Bragadottir, Kristin (January 21, 2008). "Chess champion Bobby Fischer buried in Iceland". Reuters. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
499. "Chess champion Bobby Fischer requested Catholic burial in Iceland". Catholic News Agency. January 23, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
500. "Portrait of a Genius As a Young Chess Master". Ralph Ginzburg's January 1962 interview, Harper's Magazine. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
501. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 30, 44.
502. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 41, 45, 61, 66, 90, 92, 95, 101, 107, 117–20.
503. Parr, Larry (May 8, 2001). "Is Bobby Fischer Anti-Semitic?". The Chess Beat. World Chess Network. Archived from the original on March 21, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
504. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, p. 123.
505. Böhm & Jongkind 2003, pp. 41, 65–66, 118–19, 121.
506. "The Five Best Reporter-Athlete Feuds of All Time". Bleacher Report.
507. Sandomir, Richard (June 3, 2005). "Out of the Shadow and into the Spotlight". The New York Times.
508. DeLucia 2009, pp. 160–62, 166.
509. Edward Winter (2009). "Chess Note 6189. Bobby Fischer Uncensored". chesshistory.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
510. DeLucia 2009, pp. 290, 292.
511. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 27.
512. ^ Joseph Ponterotto (December 10, 2010). "A psychological autopsy of Bobby Fischer". Pacific Standard. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
513. Bobby Fischer's Conquest of the World's Chess Championship: The Psychology and Tactics of the Title Match, 1973. ISBN 0-923891-47-1.
514. ^ Bobby Fischer (Summer 1961). "A Bust to the King's Gambit" (PDF). American Chess Quarterly. 1 (1): 3–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
515. Brady 1973, p. 78.
516. Bantam Books, May 1972, ISBN 0-553-26315-3.
517. Soltis 2003, p. 10. " contributed some ideas, but chiefly his name, to Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess."
518. Garry Kasparov (March 10, 2011). "The Bobby Fischer Defense". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
519. Hooper & Whyld 1992, pp. 138–39.
520. Brady 2011, pp. 227–28.
521. Fischer, Bobby (1969). "45. Fischer–Bisguier, New York State Open 1963". My 60 Memorable Games. Simon and Schuster. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-671-21483-8.
522. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 251. "Fischer's main and almost exclusive weapon with White is 1 e4. The range of stratagems that he employs after 1 e4 is extremely wide."
523. "Fischer vs. Hort, Herceg Novi Blitz (1970)". Chessgames.com.
524. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 270. "He employs a limited range of openings. Of course, this is not a sign of Fischer's limited creativity, since he compensates for this by a very profound and sound knowledge of the variations he favours [sic]."
525. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, pp. 251–62.
526. Müller 2009, p. 31.
527. Fischer 1969, p. 151.
528. Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 208.
529. Plisetsky & Voronkov 2005, p. 322 (quoting March 20, 1972, letter from Paul Keres to the USSR Chess Federation).
530. Garry Kasparov and Keene Raymond (1989). Batsford Chess Openings 2. Collier Books. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-02-033991-5. The Exchange Variation was a feared weapon in the hands of Bobby Fischer
531. Larry Kaufman (2004). The Chess Advantage in Black and White. David McKay. pp. 4–5. ISBN 978-0-8129-3571-4. The modern version of the Spanish Exchange variation, in which White moves 5.0-0 after the exchange on move 4, should be named after former world champion Bobby Fischer. started to play the Exchange with the move 5.0-0, winning game after game with it, and continued to play it with success even in his 1992 rematch with Boris Spassky, his final formal chess event.
532. "Robert James Fischer, Ruy Lopez, Exchange (C68–C69)". Chessgames.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
533. Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, pp. 29, 32–33.
534. L.S. Blackstock, in Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 36.
535. Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 25.
536. Carsten Hansen (2003). The Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3. Gambit Publications. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-901983-58-6.
537. Leon Pliester (1995). Rubinstein Complex of the Nimzo-Indian Defense. International Chess Enterprises. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-879479-25-8.
538. Svetozar Gligorić (1985). Play the Nimzo-Indian Defense. Pergamon Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-08-026927-6.
539. John Watson (2006). Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 1. Gambit Publications. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-904600-60-2. 7...Qb6 is an astonishing move that those raised with classical chess principles would simply reject as a typical beginner's mistake. Black goes running after a pawn when he is undeveloped and already under attack.
540. John Watson (1998). Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch. Gambit Publications. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-901983-07-4. ... the brilliant, classically oriented grandmaster Salo Flohr commented, even as late as 1972: 'In chess, there is an old rule: in the opening, one must make haste to develop the pieces, and must not move the same piece several times, particularly the queen. This ancient law holds good even for Bobby Fischer.
541. Lev Polugevsky; Jeroen Piket & Christophe Guéneau (1995). Sicilian Love: Lev Polugaevsky Chess Tournament, Buenos Aires 1994. New in Chess. p. 83. ISBN 978-90-71689-99-4. The Poisoned Pawn Variation was considered dubious by certain GMs and crazy by Bent Larsen
542. ^ Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 30.
543. "Robert James Fischer, Sicilian, Najdorf (B97)". Chessgames.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
544. Kiril Georgiev & Atanas Kolev (2007). The Sharpest Sicilian: A Black Repertoire with 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6. Simolini 94 (Sofia, Bulgaria). p. 6. ISBN 978-954-8782-56-2.
545. Mednis 1997, pp. 56, 146.
546. Mednis calls 6.Bc4 against the Najdorf Variation "Fischer's 6 B-QB4". Mednis 1997, pp. 56, 74, 80, 88.
547. "Boris Spassky vs. Robert James Fischer – Mar del Plata (1960), Mar del Plata ARG, rd 2, Mar-30". Chessgames.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
548. Fischer 1961, pp. 4–9.
549. Yakov Estrin & I.B. Glazkov (1982). Play the King's Gambit, Volume 1: King's Gambit Accepted. Pergamon Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-08-026872-9.
550. Viktor Korchnoi & Vladimir Zak (1975). The King's Gambit. Chess Digest. p. 39.
551. Andrew Soltis, in Müller 2009, p. 29.
552. Wade & O'Connell 1973, pp. 27, 76–77, 253, 256.
553. Bisguier & Soltis 1974, p. 214.
554. Jeremy Silman (2007). Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master. Siles Press. pp. 510–23. ISBN 978-1-890085-10-0.
555. Karsten Müller & Frank Lamprecht (2001). Fundamental Chess Endings. Gambit Publications. p. 304. ISBN 978-1-901983-53-1.
556. Steve Mayer (1997). Bishop versus Knight: The Verdict. Batsford. p. 201. ISBN 978-1-879479-73-9.
557. Steve Giddins (2012). Greatest Ever Chess Endgames. Everyman Chess. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-85744-694-4.
558. Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 422.
559. Brady 2011, p. 246.
560. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 307.
561. Rene Chun (January 12, 2003). "The madness of King Bobby". The Observer.
562. Seirawan & Stefanovic 1992, p. 17
563. Brady 2011, p. 260.
564. Svetozar Gligorić (2002). Shall We Play Fischerandom Chess?. B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-7134-8764-0. At the beginning of the 21st century, grandmasters have been slowly but surely expressing interest in Fischerandom Chess
565. Schonberg 1973, p. 270. "William Lombardy characterized Fischer's game as machinelike, with 'terrifically accurate positional play but never boring... His opening repertory is encompassing... His end game is practically flawless. Bobby is the most complete player I've ever seen'."
566. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 22. "Referring to the future chess computer, Jim Sherwin , an American player who knew Fischer well, described him as 'a prototype Deep Blue.' The Soviet analysis showed that even when faced with an unexpected position, Fischer took not longer than fifteen or twenty minutes to make his move; other grandmasters might take twice as long. Nor did Fischer appear to be governed by any psychologically predetermined system or technique."
567. Edward Winter (1981). World Chess Champions. Pergamon. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-08-024117-3. play approached so close to perfection that it seemed to transcend style
568. Edmonds & Eidinow 2004, p. 23.
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579. Brady 2011, p. 267.
580. "Bobby Fischer Moves to a Satisfying Peace". Chicago Sun-Times. September 26, 1993. Quoted in Brady 2011, p. 268.
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583. "Pawn Sacrifice". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
584. William Hartston (1986). Chess: The Making of the Musical. Pavilion Books. p. 10. ISBN 1-85145-006-8.
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591. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 92
592. New York Times, New York, NY, Monday, October 3, 1955 – Page 27.
593. Atlantic Chess News Archived December 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Sept 2010
594. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 97
595. John Donaldson, Bobby Fischer and his world, p.86.
596. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 98
597. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 122
598. Fischer won first game on forfeit.
599. ^ Includes one forfeit: 10/12 (9/11 with 11 games played)
600. Chess Life, 1963, pp. 196–99.
601. includes one game where opponent refused to play and resigned on the first move
602. Brady 1973
603. Wade & O'Connell 1973, p. 11.
604. Müller 2009, p. 400.
605. John Donaldson, The World of Bobby Fischer, 2020, p. 129
606. Donaldson & Tangborn 1999, pp. 51–52.
607. Fischer lost second game on forfeit
608. Includes one forfeit : 12½/21
609. Only played games counted: 12½/20
610. John Donaldson, Bobby Fischer and his World, 2020, p. 556-577.
611. ^ Only decisive games counted; percentage = won ÷ (won+lost).
612. Includes all games
613. John Donaldson, Bobby Fischer and his World, Siles Press, 2020, p. 202.
614. "Donald Byrne vs. Robert James Fischer, New York 1956". Chessgames.com.
615. Kasparov 2004, p. 213.
616. Chess Review, December 1956, p. 374.
617. "Svetozar Gligoric vs. Robert James Fischer, Bled 1961". Chessgames.com.
618. Kasparov 2004, p. 281.
619. Andy Soltis (2006). The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-2741-8.
620. "Robert Eugene Byrne vs. Robert James Fischer, 1963/64 US Championship, New York". Chessgames.com.
621. Brady 1973, p. 74.
622. "Robert James Fischer vs. Mark Taimanov, Candidates Quarterfinal, Vancouver 1971". Chessgames.com.
623. Danny Kopec & Daniel Kostovetsky (March 2014). "The Fischer Ending". Chess Life. pp. 39–43.
624. "Robert James Fischer vs. Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, Candidates Final, Buenos Aires 1971". Chessgames.com.
625. Soltis 2003, p. 264. "This is perhaps Fischer's most famous and instructive move and is still being cited today. Annotating a Short–Svidler game from the 2002 Russia-World match, the magazine 64 commented that even a superbly placed Black knight on an open file will interfere with heavy pieces and therefore should be removed in 'the classic example of the seventh game of the Fischer–Petrosian match'."
626. Karsten Müller (November 26, 2020). "Solution of the endgame riddle: Was Fischer's 22.Nxd7 winning?". chessbase.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
627. "Robert James Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, World Championship Match (1972), Reykjavik, rd 6". Chessgames.com.
628. Kasparov 2004, p. 438.
629. Euwe, Max (1973). Avro Schaaktoernooi 1973 (in Dutch). Unieboek. ISBN 9026922205.
630. "Boris Spassky vs. Robert James Fischer, World Championship Match (1972), Reykjavik, rd 13". Chessgames.com.
631. Soltis 2003, p. 271.
632. "Robert James Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, Fischer–Spassky (1992), Sveti Stefan & Belgrade, rd 1". Chessgames.com.
633. Kasparov 2004, p. 488.

Bibliography

Main article: Bibliography of works on Bobby Fischer

• Alexander, C. H. O'D. (1972). Fischer v. Spassky. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-394-71830-9.
• Benko, Pal; Silman, Jeremy (2003). Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions. Siles Press. ISBN 978-1-890085-08-7.
• Bisguier, Arthur; Soltis, Andrew (1974). American Chess Masters from Morphy to Fischer. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-511050-2.
• Böhm, Hans; Jongkind, Kees (2003). Bobby Fischer: The Wandering King. Batsford. ISBN 978-0-7134-8935-4.
• Brady, Frank (1965). Profile of a Prodigy (1st ed.). David McKay. OCLC 2574422.
• Brady, Frank (1973). Profile of a Prodigy (2nd ed.). David McKay. OCLC 724113.
• Brady, Frank (2011). Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness (1st ed.). Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-46390-6.
• Bronstein, David; Fürstenberg, Tom (2009) . The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2nd ed.). New in Chess. ISBN 978-90-5691-272-7.
• Byrne, Robert; Nei, Ivo (1974). Both Sides of the Chessboard. Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Company. ISBN 978-0-8129-0379-9.
• Collins, John W. (1974). My Seven Chess Prodigies. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-21941-3.
• DeLucia, David; DeLucia, Alessandra (2009). Bobby Fischer Uncensored.
• Denker, Arnold; Parr, Larry (1995). The Bobby Fischer I Knew and Other Stories. Hypermodern Press. ISBN 978-1-886040-18-2.
• Di Felice, Gino (2010). Chess Results, 1956–1960: A Comprehensive Record With 1,390 Tournament Crosstables and 142 Match Scores, With Sources. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4803-6.
• Di Felice, Gino (2013a). Chess Results, 1961–1963: A Comprehensive Record with 938 Tournament Crosstables and 108 Match Scores, with Sources. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7572-8.
• Di Felice, Gino (2013b). Chess Results, 1964–1967: A Comprehensive Record with 1,204 Tournament Crosstables and 158 Match Scores, with Sources. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7573-5.
• Di Felice, Gino (2013c). Chess Results, 1968–1970: A Comprehensive Record with 854 Tournament Crosstables and 161 Match Scores, with Sources. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7574-2.
• Donaldson, John; Tangborn, Eric (1999). The Unknown Bobby Fischer. International Chess Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-879479-85-2.
• Donner, J. H. (2006). The King: Chess Pieces. New in Chess. ISBN 978-90-5691-171-3.
• Edmonds, David; Eidinow, John (2004). Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-051025-1.
• Fischer, Bobby (2008) . Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess. Simon and Schuster, Ishi Press. ISBN 978-0-923891-46-6.
• Fischer, Bobby (2008) . My 60 Memorable Games. Simon and Schuster, Faber and Faber, Batsford. ISBN 978-1-906388-30-0.
• Fischer, Bobby (1982). I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse!. Printer. ASIN B0006Y6EHI.
• Ginzburg, Ralph (January 1962). "Portrait of a Genius as a Young Chess Master". Harper's Magazine. pp. 49–55.
• Gligorić, Svetozar (2012) . Fischer vs. Spassky: World Chess Championship Match 1972. Ishi. ISBN 978-4-87187-514-1.
• Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992) . The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280049-7.
• Karpov, Anatoly (1991) . Karpov on Karpov: Memoirs of a Chess World Champion (1st English ed.). Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-689-12060-2.
• Kasparov, Garry (2004). My Great Predecessors, Volume IV. Gloucester Publishers. ISBN 978-1-85744-395-0.
• Kažić, B.M. (1974). International Championship Chess: A Complete Record of FIDE Events. Pitman. ISBN 978-0-273-07078-8.
• Lombardy, William (2011). Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life. Russell Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-936490-22-6.
• Mednis, Edmar (1997) . How to Beat Bobby Fischer (2nd ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-29844-3.
• Müller, Karsten (2009). Bobby Fischer: The Career and Complete Games of the American World Chess Champion. Russell Enterprises, Inc. ISBN 978-1-888690-68-2.
• Plisetsky, Dmitry; Voronkov, Sergey (2005). Russians versus Fischer (2nd ed.). Everyman Chess. ISBN 978-1-85744-380-6.
• Schonberg, Harold C. (1973). Grandmasters of Chess. J.B. Lippincott. ISBN 978-0-397-01004-2.
• Seirawan, Yasser; Stefanovic, George (1992). No Regrets: Fischer-Spassky 1992. International Chess Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-879479-09-8.
• Soltis, Andrew (2003). Bobby Fischer Rediscovered. Batsford. ISBN 978-0-7134-8846-3.
• Steiner, George (1974) . Fields of Force. Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-31178-1.
• Wade, Robert G.; O'Connell, Kevin J. (1973) . Bobby Fischer's Chess Games (2nd ed.). Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-08627-1.
• Waitzkin, Fred (1993). Mortal Games: The Turbulent Genius of Garry Kasparov. G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0-399-13827-0.

External links

• Archive of Fischer's personal homepage
• Bobby Fischer player profile and games at Chessgames.com
• A list of books about Fischer and Kasparov compiled by Edward Winter
• Bobby Fischer Live Radio Interviews (1999–2006)
• Extensive collection of Fischer photographs, Echecs-photos online
• "Bobby Fischer's Pathetic Endgame", Rene Chun, The Atlantic, December 2002
• Articles about Bobby Fischer by Edward Winter

Awards
Preceded byBoris Spassky	World Chess Champion 1972–1975	Succeeded byAnatoly Karpov
Preceded byArthur Bisguier	United States Chess Champion 1958–1960	Succeeded byLarry Evans
Preceded byLarry Evans	United States Chess Champion 1962–1966	Succeeded byLarry Evans
Achievements
Preceded byNone	FIDE world No. 1 July 1, 1971 – December 31, 1975	Succeeded byAnatoly Karpov
Preceded byBoris Spassky	Youngest chess grandmaster ever 1958–1991	Succeeded byJudit Polgár

v t e Bobby Fischer
Bibliography
Chess games	The Game of the Century World Chess Championship 1972 World Chess Championship 1975 Fischer–Spassky (1992 match)
Chess innovations	Fischer random chess King's Gambit, Fischer Defense Fischer clock
Books	Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966) My 60 Memorable Games (1969)
Works about	The Great Chess Movie (1982 documentary) Me and Bobby Fischer (2009 documentary) Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011 documentary) Pawn Sacrifice (2014 drama film)
Miscellaneous	Bobby Fischer Center Chess Searching for Bobby Fischer Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (video game)

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FIDE	1948, 1951, 1954 (Botvinnik) 1957 (Smyslov) 1958 (Botvinnik) 1960 (Tal) 1961 (Botvinnik) 1963, 1966 (Petrosian) 1969 (Spassky) 1972 (Fischer) 1975, 1978, 1981 (Karpov) 1984–1985 (no result) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 (Kasparov)
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v t e American grandmasters
Chess players for the United States with the FIDE title of grandmaster (GM) by title decade
1950–1959	Benko Bisguier Evans Fine Fischer Kashdan Reshevsky Rossolimo
1960–1969	Byrne Kavalek Lombardy
1970–1979	Alburt Biyiasas Christiansen Dzindzichashvili Gulko Palatnik Rogoff Tarjan
1980–1989	Benjamin D. Gurevich Dake De Firmian Denker Dlugy Ehlvest Fedorowicz Goldin Henley Kaidanov Kudrin Mednis Rohde Seirawan Soltis Wilder Zaichik
1990–1999	Akopian Annakov Becerra Bruzón Fishbein I. Gurevich Ivanov Kamsky Novikov Onischuk Sagalchik Schwartzman Serper Shabalov Shaked Sher Sherzer Shulman Stripunsky Wolff Yermolinsky
2000–2009	Akobian Aronian Ashley Bhat Caruana Domínguez Erenburg Finegold Friedel Gareyev González Hernández Hess Izoria Jimenez Kaufman Khachiyan Kraai Kreiman Moradi Nakamura Perelshteyn Quesada Ramírez So Świercz Zherebukh Ziatdinov
2010–2019	Antipov Arnold Brown Burke Chandra Checa Holt Hungaski Krush Lenderman Li Liang Molner Naroditsky Oparin Robson Sevian Sevillano Shankland Smith Tang Troff Xiong Yang Zierk
2020–2029	Balakrishnan Brodsky Daggupati Fernandez Ghazarian Guo Hong Jacobson Mishra Niemann Sheng Sturt Tiglon Woodward Yoo
See also: List of chess grandmasters Category:American chess players

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